We’ve all wondered how they do it at some point in our lives.

We’ve wondered how homing pigeons can find their way to specific destinations or how Northern Wheatears can travel 9,000 miles from Alaska to West Africa with amazing precision. The theory we’ve grown to know, which is that birds have a magnetic compass that helps guide them, might no longer be correct.

According to an article in the recent edition of science journal Nature, those directional cells we thought were in birds’ beaks actually have an entirely different function. The researchers made this discovery after they noticed a significant amount of variation in cell numbers among birds. The cells were also found in other parts of a bird’s body.

It turns out those cells we long thought were used as magnetic compasses are actually iron-rich immune cells. They discovered the new function after they noticed many more cells in sick birds than healthy ones.

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For many people, the routine of sipping a cup of coffee while admiring the birds fluttering about their bird feeder is a great start to the morning.

However, while you’re definitely giving back by helping feed the birds, there’s a possibility you’re doing harm to countless migratory birds that go through Latin America by drinking your coffee.

Birds & Coffee

If you’re wondering how your coffee might affect birds, the interactions between coffee plants and birds is well-document. In many countries, especially those in Latin America, coffee bushes provide key habitats to migrating birds traveling away from the cold. Here’s an excerpt from Audubon’s site on the interaction:

About 200 different species of birds are known as neotropical migrants, breeding in the habitat and backyards of North America and migrating south to Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean islands for the winter. There, the multi-layered vegetation of shade-grown coffee plantations provides abundant food and cover. In many areas, coffee farms offer the only good habitat amid deforested pastures and stark monocultures.

Essentially, since the very beginning, shade-grown coffee bushes have provided birds an excellent place to seek shelter, create a positive environment as well as provide much-needed feasting areas while stopping during a migration.

All of this was true until the rise of sun-grown coffee.

Sun-grown vs. Shade-grown coffee

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Over the past few weeks, pretty disturbing news has come out that Scotts Miracle-Gro knowingly violated US federal laws by manufacturing and selling poisoned bird seed for an incredible two years.

Last month, the company pleaded guilty in court for putting pesticides in two of their brands of bird seed called “Morning Song” and “Country Pride.” What makes all this unfortunate event ten times worse than it already is is that they did it knowingly. Here’s more from Grist.org:

According to court records, in 2008, Scotts distributed 73 million packages of bird seed coated with the insecticides Storcide II, containing the active ingredient chlorpyrifos, and and Actellic 5E, containing the active ingredient pirimiphos-methyl, intended to keep insects from destroying the seed.

The company continued to produce and market the insecticide-coated seeds despite being alerted to toxicity dangers by a Scotts staff chemist and ornithologist.

Scotts apparently added Storcide, a pesticide, to the bird seed in an attempt to keep away insects during the storage phase. Since Storcide is known to be lethal to birds (there is a label on the package of Storcide that says the pesticide is toxic to birds), the company definitely knew what they were putting into their bird seed. Yet, Scotts continued to put the pesticide into the seed without letting its customers know.

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According to Oregon Live, there’s been an outbreak of salmonella poisoning throughout the Portland metropolitan area as local residents are reporting more dead and dying birds around feeders.

While salmonella outbreaks are not widespread, isolated cases are common at the very beginning of spring when large clusters of birds are gathering together at bird feeders. Salmonella is spread when birds eat the fecal matter of infected birds below a feeder or even in the trays of the feeder. Infected birds are pretty noticeable because they look sickly and don’t fly very well.

If there’s an outbreak in your area, there are a few things you should do immediately.

Take down your feeders and thoroughly clean them and the area surrounding the feeders

Salmonella is not airborne, so there is no risk of you contracting the bacteria. If a lot of birds typically flock to your feeder and there’s an outbreak in your area, it might be a good idea to keep the feeder down for two weeks, especially if you’ve noticed sickly birds around your yard.

Keep your cats inside

While it’s a good idea to keep your cats indoors all the time to protect birds, cats are susceptible to contracting the bacteria because they can easily capture and consume the infected birds.

Report any sick-looking or dead birds to a local wildlife center

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When you’re trying to study a group of animals that number into the billions, it’s hard to do it without the help of the average citizen. Luckily, this year the regular person stepped up to the plate for ornithologists and contributed in astounding numbers to the record-breaking Great Backyard Bird Count of 2012.

The results from this year’s Great Backyard Bird Count are remarkable on so many levels. Most importantly, more than 104,000 checklists were submitted this year, which easily beat the previous record of 95,000. This is significant because it means more people are getting involved in birding and contributing on a different level by participating in bird counts. As the New Hampshire Sentinel Source puts it, “That bodes well for the future of birds, as the more people who are interested in birds, the more people who are interested in protecting and saving birds.”

Aside from the record number of checklists submitted, this year’s count saw a huge number of birds due to the unusually warm winter with Snowy Owls venturing farther south into the United States and more birds appearing in the northern parts. As part of “the most detailed four-day snapshot ever recorded for birdlife in the U.S. and Canada,” this year featured an amazing array of species, both common and rare.

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Although you would think renewable energy sources like wind energy are amenable to birds and wildlife, the two have been at odds for a while.

Like most controversial issues, different studies show different results, but anywhere between 100,000 and 440,000 birds die each year as the result of collisions with wind turbines (the 440,000 number comes from the Fish & Wildlife Service). Organizations, such as the American Bird Conservancy (ABC), have been fighting to get a set of guidelines implemented to make wind power “bird-smart.”

In a step forward, last Friday the Obama administration instituted new voluntary guidelines for selecting the safest site for wind farms and developing them. While many viewed this as an attempt by Obama to continue promoting wind energy without sacrificing the lives of birds, others say the voluntary guidelines simply aren’t enough.

The ABC argues that the guidelines will do little to prevent bird deaths, and said it will result in more bird deaths and lawsuits.

Having voluntary guidelines is not the same as mandatory rules, but according to TG Daily, there are some incentives:

While the voluntary guidelines don’t carry the big stick of mandatory regulation, they do come with a carrot: DOI suggested that developers found to be in violation of laws and regulations – whose turbines, for instance, kill a protected species – could potentially escape trouble if they can show “documented efforts to communicate with the Service and adhere to the Guidelines.”

Even though the ABC is still dissatisfied with the guidelines, Audubon president David Yarnold supports the guidelines as a compromise and a step in the right direction.

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