Bird Species That Are Comfortable With Humans

The relationship between humans and birds has often been an uneasy one, with humans killing birds for food and sport. Many bird species, such as the passenger pigeon and the dodo, met extinction at the hands of humans. Not every species of bird is comfortable around human beings. Fortunately, some bird species are content to coexist with humans, enriching the lives of human beings by their presence.

  1. Hunting Birds

    • Hunting birds can be trained by human beings to bring back prey. The falcon is one of the fiercest and most intelligent hunting birds, widely used by trainers and hunters in the Middle East. Traditionally falcons were trapped in the wild, but now it is more common for falconers in countries such as Saudi Arabia to purchase a falcon from good breeding stock on the open market. Hawks and even eagles have also been successfully trained to hunt.

    Pets

    • Many bird species make wonderful pets, bonding with both adults and children. The budgerigar, or budgie, is popular because of its playful and social nature. Parrots are also commonly kept as pets. They are so comfortable with humans that they will mimic human speech if trained to do so. The canary is another pet bird that gets along well with its human owners. Miners in an earlier era used canaries to detect toxic gas in mines, leading to the phrase "canary in the coal mine."

    Farm Birds

    • Human beings have kept birds as farm animals for centuries. The chicken is comfortable living with humans, as long as it is adequately fed and kept away from predators, such as foxes. Though chickens on farms are generally fed a steady diet of grain, the chicken is not a natural vegetarian and will eat mice and insects if given the opportunity. Turkeys are also farmed in large quantities. Domesticated turkeys cannot fly, unlike their wild relatives.

    Scavengers

    • Scavenger birds are all too comfortable with humans, though humans may not always be comfortable with them. Seagulls are a common sight along waterfronts where human beings gather. They will eat anything from fish caught in nets to a piece of bread left unattended. In cities, pigeons are notorious pests, nesting in high places and leaving their droppings on cars and buildings alike. The pigeon's compatibility with humans can be useful, however, in the case of trained pigeons that can deliver messages from one location to another.