Illustration by Cody Angell

Squawk, squawk.

What was that?

If it happened at UA, odds are it was a pigeon, starling or grackle. On a particularly lucky day, it might have been a house finch, but don't expect any prized native species like Gila woodpeckers, cactus wrens or Gambel's quail.

On Monday, the Arizona Daily Star released the results of a study by Will Turner, a UA graduate student, titled the Tucson Bird Count. This study is thought to be the largest of its kind, and Tucson's bird population is one of the most well-known in the world. The results were somewhat disturbing.

Non-native species like rock doves (more commonly known as pigeons) and European starlings dominate Tucson's urban core, including the university-native species like flycatchers, Gila woodpeckers and Gambel's quail and were found in a ring surrounding the city.

Tucson's overall bird population has actually increased, but more birds doesn't necessarily mean a healthy environment, contrary to a common first reaction to such information. In fact, Tucson's avian biodiversity has dramatically decreased.

Nevertheless, not all of the news is bad. Some areas of Tucson, with well-preserved natural washes and native vegetation, have shown large populations of native species of birds coexisting with people.

"What (Turner) has found is not unusual, but the value of his data is that it has the potential to tell us a lot about the kinds of developments that support native species," UA ornithologist Bill Mannan pointed out.

Professor Michael Rosenzweig, who is supervising Turner's study, noted that protected urban washes could provide enclaves for native birds to survive in the face of development.

"(Urban washes) provide fingers of native vegetation that will, without any trouble, penetrate neighborhoods and provide habitat for a lot of species," he said.

It is unlikely that this study will stop any developments, but it does provide us with measures that can be taken to protect native bird species. Preserving natural washes and using native vegetation in landscaping have shown to dramatically increase the variety of bird species.

The reasons for protecting native bird species are simple. They affect the indigenous plant species whose leaves and fruit they eat and whose stems they use for nests. They also affect the larger wildlife species that prey on them. No species can be lost without a ripple effect reaching nearly every other species. And birds, for those who appreciate them, are delicate and beautiful creatures.

Most people don't like pigeons, and I can't say I'm a fan. Most people, in the back of their minds, probably realize that pigeons are a nagging result of man's tampering with the environment. These aggressive, senseless, ugly birds are a constant reminder of our mistakes. Sadly, most people won't have that idea in the front of their minds until long after the woodpeckers and quail have gone and the pigeons and grackles have taken over.

It is also unlikely that our local government will take any steps to make developers protect native bird species. Strengthening Tucson's Wash Protection Ordinance, mandating native trees for new neighborhoods, and implementing programs to discourage people from feeding non-native species would benefit native birds.

But, native birds don't vote. And even if they could, the pigeons would probably overpower them with a large get-out-the-pigeon-vote effort sponsored by local developers.

If the native birds could speak out, what would they say? Would they lament the loss of Tucson's open space much like many longtime human residents? Being typical Tucsonans, they would probably foolishly welcome their non-native cousins at first and realize too late how these newcomers are pushing them from their homes.

Would they remain in the central neighborhoods and loudly squawk their opposition to every proposed retail development, or would they scatter to the farthest reaches of the foothills in hopes of staying one step away from development? There would probably be a mixed bag, just as there is among native species. Some have stayed where the washes have been protected, and others have fled to the outskirts of town.

No matter what they would say, they are worth protecting. Birds can mean so much more than aggressive pigeons begging students at lunch and creating a black-and-white faux-finish on all of UA's sidewalks.

Native birds need to be protected before their songs are drowned out by the sound of bulldozers.