# What do they do with the bird poo?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-do-with-the-bird-poo/82266>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 17, 2001, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-do-with-the-bird-poo/82266 "2001-09-17T22:18:07Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![wooba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/aeb1de/32.png) [@wooba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wooba)\
**Post date:** [September 17, 2001, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-do-with-the-bird-poo/82266/1 "2001-09-17T22:18:07Z")

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I was just flicking through the TV and stopped on some childrens TV show about animals. They said that there’s an island off the coast of Peru that has thousands of years of bird poo encrusted on it (more than 50 metres thick!!) They said that this stuff is mined and sold for billions. What they didn’t say was what people want it for.

Anyone know?

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**Author:** ![evilhanz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba8739/32.png) [@evilhanz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/evilhanz)\
**Post date:** [September 17, 2001, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-do-with-the-bird-poo/82266/2 "2001-09-17T22:20:07Z")

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Bird guano is an excellent natural fertilizer. [Guano Trade](http://www.american.edu/TED/GUANO.HTM)