Birds in the Philippines

Title

Language

English

Year

1936

Subject

Birds -- Philippines

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Abstract

[This article features different kinds of birds that can be found in the Philippines.]

Fulltext

54 I THE YOUNG CITIZEN March, 1996 falRDS IN THE Pl-HLIPPINES Tl-IE KINDS OF BIRDS THE Philippines is rich in birds. Being a tropical country, it has many forests and woods where birds can build their homes and live. In this country, there are no winters, no long cold season which kill the birds. Every day is a spring day. Even during the rainy season, the birds do not have to fly away to some other ~ountry, because the forests offer them protection from the heavy rains and the strong winds. Do you know that there are about nine hundred kinds of birds in the Philippines? Some of these are land birds; others are water birds, while still others are shore birds. Water birds are those who live in thP water. They build their homes there and their food consist of things that they co,n find" in the· water. The land birds are t.hose who live away frorr{ the water. They fly from tree to tree, eating fruits and in•.ects or animals. Shore birds can live on hnt.h land and water. '·-- 0.,~ tha•a n.ine hundred kinds of birds, there are those which are known as birds of nrev. These birds hunt animals and hirc!s which are weaker than thev :ire. Thev are the terror of the woods. Eagles and h•wks are well known examples of birds of prey. The song birds, on the other hand, are hest loved among the birds. Their melodious singing makes the forest ring .iovouslv. WhPn they are caught, their music deliirht little children. They are also among onr best friends, for. they eat insects that horm om· nl:ints and flowers. The fruit-eating birds form another <'roup. They may be beneficia.l or harmfnl. Thev eat fruits from the trees. They •Tso m•ke good pets, for most of them a~e nice to look at. We also speak of birds as beneficial, harmful, or neutral. The beneficial birds are those who help farmers, .gardeners and oth~l'•. 'l'hev eat up insects or other harmful animais like rats and snakes. They produce fertilizers which enrich the ground for planting. Their feathers and meat and even their nests are of great value to those who take the trouble to get them. Have you .ever heard of edible birds' nests? These are made into soup and sold for good prices afterwards. The harmful birds are those who destroy our plants and kill our chickens. The mayas or weaver birds, the crows, hawks and eagles are examples of this group. The mayas and the crows are enemies of .farmers. They feed on the grains and the fruit that are grown in the fields. The hawks ·. Hnd the eagles carry away chickens and use them for food. The neutral birds are those who neither do harm nor do good. They just exist without distinct characteristics which make them the friends or the enemies of man. A well-known example are the game birds, or the birds which are hunted for their food value. Around you, birds live and die. Some of them a1·e your friends. Others are your enemies. A great number are helpers whom vou do not recognize. When you see a bird sailing a,gainst the sky . or resting on a bou<'h. think of this great feathered brotherhood which inhabit your forests and woods -such a <'reat variety of them, nine hundred strong in all, each wearing a different color and built a different size from the other. (Next month: The biggest bird in the Philippines.)

pages

54

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