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![]() | Guano has been listed as one of the Natural sciences good articles under the good article criteria. If you can improve it further, please do so. If it no longer meets these criteria, you can reassess it. Review: August 11, 2019. (Reviewed version). |
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This is from that 1881 encyclopedia (but somehow I think science has progressed just a bit since 1881... ;-) -- Marj Tiefert
The urine of men and animals living upon flesh contains a large quantity of nitrogen, partly in the form of urea. Human urine is the most powerful manure for all vegetables which contain nitrogen, that of horses and horned cattle contains less of this element, but much more than the solid excrements of these animals. In the face of such facts as these, is it not pitiable to observe how the urine of the stable or cow-shed is often permitted to run off, to sink uselessly into the earth, or to form a pool in the middle of a farm-yard, from which, as it putrefies, the ammonia formed in it rapidly escapes into the atmosphere?
Cultivated plants need more nitrogen than wild ones, being of a higher and more complex organization. The result of forest growth is chiefly the production of carbonaceous woody fibre; of garden or field culture, especially the addition of as much nitrogen as the plant can be made to take up.
I could have sworn I saw something on a nature show or something where some indigenous people eat bat guano, but being a sensible person, I knew that it could not be true.
See the Chinese article on Lin Tse Hsu. It appears to say that he scared tourists by eating a food prepared to give the appearance of guano. This may be where the rumor comes from. (Collin237 - 237wins) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 166.203.105.214 (talk) 07:13, 10 December 2009 (UTC)
It says "Its, Dawguang Dih ranq ta jieday waygworen, ta biann jyyshyh chwushy tzowlh idaw horngshuuni tsay, waygworen jiann jong horngshuuni mei maw rehchih, biann lhau chii jiow chy, jyr baa waygworen tanqderuauajiaw, Lintzershyu jiannshiaw, woanhweilh mianntz." Perhaps someone could explain this. (Collin237 - 237wins) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 32.178.68.71 (talk) 12:28, 10 December 2009 (UTC)
Some more information on Coca Cola's flirtation with guano during the war would be interesting too.
Ace Ventura's plot was centered around this.
Please merge any relevant content from Phosphate rock island per Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Phosphate rock island. (If there is nothing to merge, just leave it as a redirect.) Thanks. —Quarl (talk) 2007-02-25 04:46Z
Apparently near the end of the 19th century, guano was imported all the way from the mountains of Chile to be used as fertilizers in the United Kingdom. Can this be included in the article or not? Can anyone find references for this please? --pizza1512 12:07, 10 April 2007 (UTC)
There is more than 30 years worth of viable phosphate available for extraction. Please see http://www.energybulletin.net/28720.html and especially http://www.apda.pt/apda_resources/APDA.Biblioteca/eureau%5Cposition%20papers%5Cthe%20reuse%20of%20phosphorus.pdf for details. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.112.40.137 (talk) 00:17, 4 December 2007 (UTC)
I noticed the movie Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls has as central topic Guano. I have added it to the See also list. Camilo Sanchez (talk)
Is this photograph REALLY necessary? Not only is it extremely detailed, but someone saw fit to make sure it was HUGE!
This is entirely a good-natured comment... but MAN. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 209.234.149.2 (talk) 19:03, 3 November 2008 (UTC)
Haha I thought it was really fitting —Preceding unsigned comment added by 172.168.120.77 (talk) 19:03, 3 November 2008 (UTC) — Preceding unsigned comment added by 173.168.120.77 (talk)
I have a problem with the statement "It is estimated that there is only enough phosphorus from current resources to last about 30 years." I believe that the source is talking specifically about Peru. Besides, I think the source says 10 - 20 years, not 30.
I am not sure what statement should be made from this source as it seems too narrow in scope. WTucker (talk) 05:43, 8 January 2009 (UTC)
Really? Only seabirds specifically? If Canada Geese leave large amounts of excrement by a lake, is that guano? if not, what is it called? Kingturtle (talk) 20:49, 10 April 2010 (UTC)
It is written : In this context the United States passed the Guano Islands Act in 1856, giving citizens discovering a source of guano the right to take possession of unclaimed land and entitlement to exclusive rights to the deposits. The guano, however, could only be removed for the use of citizens of the United States.[1] This enabled U.S. citizens to take possession of unoccupied islands containing guano... It ends with a Wiki flag stating that "sources are required", even though it is given via its reference! I don't understand why, some people aren't mature enough to face History? — Preceding unsigned comment added by HawkFest (talk • contribs) 23:21, 25 January 2013 (UTC)
This article claims: "There is no documentary evidence that enslaved Pacific Islanders participated in guano mining." It cites: Méndez, Cecilia (1987). Los trabajadores guaneros del Perú, 1840–1879. Lima: Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos.
The article on Blackbirding, referring to enslavement of Pacific Islanders claims: "From the 1860s, blackbirding ships in the Pacific sought workers to mine the guano deposits on the Chincha Islands in Peru." It cites: H.E. Maude, Slavers in Paradise, Institute of Pacific Studies (1981)
Logically, one of these claims must be false. 97.83.179.39 (talk) 16:38, 5 February 2016 (UTC)
The first two sentences of the article, "Guano (via Spanish, ultimately from the Quechua wanu) is the excrement of only cave-dwelling bats in general.[1] Most commonly people are mistaken to think that quano is a term used for bird excrement as well," contradict almost all of the text that follows (that is assuming "quano" is a typo, and if it's not it's not a fact that belongs in the lede). The use of the term "guano" in this article is almost exclusively referring to the droppings of birds and hardly mentions bats at all. ☉ nbmatt 02:44, 13 August 2016 (UTC)
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...due to its exceptionally high content of nitrogen, phosphate and potassium: nutrients essential for plant growth.
Ifk 81.106.178.29 (talk) 21:35, 21 November 2021 (UTC)
Hello! This is to let editors know that File:DefecatingSeagull.jpg, a featured picture used in this article, has been selected as the English Wikipedia's picture of the day (POTD) for June 15, 2022. A preview of the POTD is displayed below and can be edited at Template:POTD/2022-06-15. For the greater benefit of readers, any potential improvements or maintenance that could benefit the quality of this article should be done before its scheduled appearance on the Main Page. If you have any concerns, please place a message at Wikipedia talk:Picture of the day. Thank you! Adam Cuerden (talk)Has about 7.8% of all FPs 13:40, 23 May 2022 (UTC)
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Guano is the accumulated excrement of seabirds and bats. As a manure, guano is a highly effective fertilizer due to its exceptionally high content of nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium: key nutrients essential for plant growth. Guano was also, to a lesser extent, sought for the production of gunpowder and other explosive materials. The demand for guano in the 19th century spurred the human colonization of remote bird islands in many parts of the world, resulting in some of the first examples of United States colonialism and the expansion of the British Empire. However, the guano-mining process resulted in ecological degradation through the loss of millions of seabirds. This photograph, taken near Île-de-Bréhat in northwestern France, depicts a herring gull (Larus argentatus) excreting waste, which accumulates to form guano. Photograph credit: Nicolas Sanchez
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