guano
Sign in to save300px|thumb|The nest of the Peruvian booby is made of almost pure guano. thumb|Human-made Bird Island (Namibia)|Guano Island near [[Walvis Bay in Namibia]] Guano (Spanish from ) is the accumulated excrement of seabirds or bats. Guano is a highly effective fertiliser due to the high content of nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium, all key nutrients essential for plant growth. Guano was also, to a lesser extent, sought for the production of gunpowder and other explosive materials.
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Guano is the accumulated excrement of seabirds or bats that has historically been valued as a highly effective fertilizer because it contains high levels of nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium—nutrients that plants need to grow. Beyond its use in agriculture, guano was also sought in smaller quantities for producing gunpowder and other explosive materials.
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Article
25 sectionsContents
- Composition and properties
- Seabird guano
- Bat guano
- History of human use
- Bird guano
- Indigenous use
- Western discovery (1548–1800)
- The Guano Age (1802–1884)
- Imperialism
- Decline and resurgence
- Bat guano
- Paleoenvironment reconstruction
- Mining
- Process
- Ecological impacts and mitigation
- Bird guano
- Bat guano
- Work conditions
- Human health
- Ecological importance
- Cultural significance
- See also
- References
- Bibliography
- External links
300px|thumb|The nest of the Peruvian booby is made of almost pure guano. thumb|Human-made Bird Island (Namibia)|Guano Island near [[Walvis Bay in Namibia]] Guano (Spanish from ) is the accumulated excrement of seabirds or bats. Guano is a highly effective fertiliser due to the high content of nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium, all key nutrients essential for plant growth. Guano was also, to a lesser extent, sought for the production of gunpowder and other explosive materials.
The 19th-century seabird guano trade played a pivotal role in the development of modern input-intensive farming. The demand for guano spurred the human colonisation of remote bird islands in many parts of the world.