Avian Biodiversity and Economic Value: A Survey of Evidence, Mechanisms, and Causal Identification

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ABSTRACT Biodiversity loss is increasingly viewed as a form of natural capital depreciation, yet the economic literature still lacks a systematic account of how species‐level biodiversity is converted into measurable economic value. This review surveys the literature on avian biodiversity and economic outcomes. Birds offer a useful analytical entry point because they are widely monitored, highly sensitive to environmental change, and directly involved in ecosystem functions such as pest control, pollination, seed dispersal, scavenging, recreation, and cultural ecosystem services. Drawing on a hybrid review that combines bibliometric analysis, systematic content analysis, and the Theory–Context–Characteristics–Methodology framework, this article identifies six major research streams: ecosystem service valuation, birdwatching tourism, agricultural productivity and pest regulation, urban amenity and well‐being, conservation policy and regional development, and natural capital accounting and biodiversity finance. The review shows that the literature has moved beyond ecological conservation but remains fragmented across disciplines. Existing studies have clarified many ecological functions of birds, but they less consistently measure how these functions affect market and non‐market outcomes.