Rocks stained with seabird guano.
Any droppings from seabirds, seals, or bats that are valuable to humans as fertilizer can be called guano. The term originated in Peru to differentiate useless bird droppings from the nutrient-rich droppings of cormorants, pelicans, and other seabirds. Since then, the use of the word has broadened to include, especially, the mixture of bat remains and droppings that accumulate on the floors of caves.
economic benefits
Bat droppings can be called guano.
Centuries ago, South American farmers collected white mounds of bird droppings from coastlines and islands to use as fertilizer on their crops. Exporting guano to Europe has become economically advantageous for farmers. Bat guano also has a long agricultural and economic history in Cuba. In the 21st century, feces from bat caves in the United States, Asia, Cuba, and South America are marketed as some of the best organic fertilizer available.
Chemical composition
Bat guano also has a long agricultural and economic history in Cuba.
Bat guano is an ideal fertilizer due to its chemical composition. Rich in nitrogen and phosphorus, it provides important chemicals for crops. It is harvested in deep caves where it is protected from sunlight, rain and wind and does not decompose as quickly as other organic matter. When droppings are exposed to water, the nitrates they contain can be washed away, so rain protection helps maintain their usefulness. Guano also has beneficial fungi and bacteria that act as natural fungicides to protect plants against disease.
organic fertilizer
Pelican droppings can be included as a type of guano, a fertilizer made from bird droppings.
Although chemical fertilizers are more widely used by modern farmers, guano remains a key resource for organic farmers, especially those in the United States. The farmer can request a certain color, species of bat or place of origin, in addition to requesting a certain chemical composition. Bat droppings are richer than seabird or seal droppings and are more abundant. They’re also much richer in plant nutrients than the same amount of horse or cow manure, and they don’t have the same pungent odor.
negative aspects
Some critics say that collecting bat guano in caves has certain harmful effects. The process, also called mining, disrupts the bats’ habitat and can cause them to panic, which can result in bats dropping their young, not getting enough food or rest. It has been blamed for bat population declines in areas where guano is collected. Removing bat droppings from caves also affects other animal species that depend on droppings for nutrients.