Their beauty and antics also encourage millions to buy equipment to observe and record every aspect of their lives. Although it is difficult to quantify the tremendous impact their arrival has on our region, some figures are available. Other aspects of birds' lives are harder to assign a dollar value to. Their taste for insect pests is well known. Ovenbirds were shown to change their feeding habits from forest floor predators to mid to upper level foliage predators when there were budworm outbreaks.
Birds can play a similar role in the garden.
Chickadees consume aphid eggs, American Robins eat turf pests, Baltimore Orioles gobble tent caterpillars and Northern Flickers dine on ants. Attracting birds to one's yard will help keep pests in check. It is something we tend to shy away from, assigning a value to wildlife.