Why local legends about birds matter

PO1 Tony Holland thanks for the read/share of the birds matter.

Ethno-ornithology, a tiny discipline, came about when ornithologists studying tribes realized that these cultures related to birds in vastly different ways than our own and in studying biology they were getting only a small, distorted picture of a rich, ancient and holistic relationship that had evolved over thousands of years.
As bird tales disappear it's not only the languages at risk but also the world views they express – tens of thousands of years of accumulated ecological, biological and cultural knowledge. "Every last word means another lost world," is how the Living Tongue Institute for Endangered Languages puts it.

A recent study found, for instance, that most of the indigenous knowledge about medicinal plants in North America, northwest Amazonia, and New Guinea are to be found in one language in each of the regions.

Excellent share.