Why birds?

Alexander Kozulin The Aquatic Warbler is a globally threatened species Zoom In | Hi-Res

It is not a coincidence that the first EU Directive on nature dealt with birds. Birds are beautiful, inspirational and international. They have meaning, resonance and symbolic value with many audiences, and are extremely popular with and valued by the public. Furthermore, they are the most obvious group of organisms for which international conservation action is necessary, as in the course of a year birds on migration may cross many boundaries. Moreover, birds make excellent flagships and are excellent indicators for biodiversity, the environment and the sustainability of human activities. They occur in a range of habitats in considerable numbers, reflect changes in other biodiversity (e.g. animals and plants) and are responsive and sensitive to environmental change. Excellent current and historical data exist, and these data are realistic and relatively inexpensive to collect.