Economic impotance of flying visitors: migratory birds

Abstract

This review aims to give a comprehensive summary of the economic importance of migratory birds using theoretical and empirical evidence provided in different literature and its influence on conservation and national development. Migration is a general phenomenon in the animal kingdom, which occurs in almost any vertebrate family on earth, several million European migratory birds en route to their winter quarters in Africa and on pre-nuptial flight to their European breeding grounds. It is a fundamental characteristic of the life history of many organisms and it is surely one of the most fascinating of all behaviours in animals without reservation. The huge number of migrating birds represents an important component of biodiversity indicators, occurring high in food chain and they are wide spread, diverse and mobile in most terrestrial and marine habitat across the continents. Many bird species display elaborate ornaments including feather structures such as facial plumes, crests, and tail streamers and bare part ornaments such as bill plates, knobs and wattles during their breeding seasons which promote tourism and hunting basically for trophies. Apart from that, game birds are also capable of producing oil. Nature based tourism and recreation, such as the viewing of wildlife coupled with; management of migratory birds promotes market for other industrial goods such as lead shot, guns and binocular.

Keywords: Migration; Recreation and Tourism; Trophies; Ornament; Food; Production of Oil