Birds

Birds

Birds (class Aves) are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic (warm-blooded), egg-laying, vertebrate animals. With around 10,000 living species, they are the mostspeciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. All present species belong to the subclass Neornithes, and inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic.Extant birds range in size from the 5 cm (2 in) Bee Hummingbird to the 2.75 m (9 ft) Ostrich. The fossil record indicates that birds emerged within theropod dinosaursduring the Jurassic period, around 160 million years (Ma) ago. Paleontologists regard birds as the only clade of dinosaurs to have survived the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event 65.5 Ma (million years) ago.

Modern birds are characterised by feathers, a beak with no teeth, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a lightweight but strong skeleton. All living species of birds have wings- the most recent species without wings was the moa, which is generally considered to have become extinct in the 1500s. Wings are evolved forelimbs, and most bird species can fly. Flightless birds include ratites, penguins, and a number of diverse endemic island species. Birds also have unique digestive and respiratory systems that are highly adapted for flight. Some birds, especially corvids and parrots, are among the most intelligent animal species; a number of bird species have been observed manufacturing and using tools, and many social species exhibit cultural transmission of knowledge across generations.

Many species undertake long distance annual migrations, and many more perform shorter irregular movements. Birds are social; they communicate using visual signals and through calls and songs, and participate in social behaviours, including cooperative breeding and hunting, flocking, and mobbing of predators. The vast majority of bird species are socially monogamous, usually for one breeding season at a time, sometimes for years, but rarely for life. Other species have polygynous ("many females") or, rarely, polyandrous ("many males") breeding systems. Eggs are usually laid in a nest and incubated by the parents. Most birds have an extended period of parental care after hatching.

Many species are of economic importance, mostly as sources of food acquired through hunting or farming. Some species, particularly songbirds and parrots, are popular as pets. Other uses include the harvesting of guano (droppings) for use as a fertiliser. Birds figure prominently in all aspects of human culture from religion to poetry to popular music. About 120–130 species have become extinct as a result of human activity since the 17th century, and hundreds more before then. Currently about 1,200 species of birds are threatened with extinction by human activities, though efforts are underway to protect them.

source:wikipedia

The Woodland Habitat of the Bird

Many birds live in and near trees.

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Many birds build their nests in trees. Trees provide plenty of materials for the bird to build its nest. Deciduous trees lose their leaves in the autumn and the fallen rotting leaves provide a rich food supply and habitat for thousands of tiny creatures. The tree provides the bird with a rich source of food. There are insects on the tree and worms and insects on the ground below. The tree also provides the bird with a place of shelter and gives protection against predators. source:http://www.zephyrus.co.uk/birdhabitat.html

Birds Behavior

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For other uses, see Bird (disambiguation).

Aves and Avifauna redirect here. For other uses, see Aves (disambiguation) or Avifauna (disambiguation).

Birds Temporal range: Late Jurassic–Recent, 150–0 Ma PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N
The diversity of modern birds.
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Clade:	Avialae
Class:	Aves Linnaeus, 1758[1]
Subclasses
†Archaeornithes * †Enantiornithes †Hesperornithes †Ichthyornithes Neornithes And see text

Birds (class Aves) are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic (warm-blooded), egg-laying,vertebrate animals. With around 10,000 living species, they are the most speciose class oftetrapod vertebrates. All present species belong to the subclass Neornithes, and inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from the 5 cm (2 in) Bee Hummingbird to the 2.75 m (9 ft) Ostrich. The fossil record indicates that birds emerged within theropod dinosaurs during the Jurassic period, around 160 million years (Ma) ago. Paleontologists regard birds as the only clade of dinosaurs to have survived the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event 65.5 Ma (million years) ago.

Modern birds are characterised by feathers, a beak with no teeth, the laying of hard-shelledeggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a lightweight but strong skeleton. All living species of birds have wings- the most recent species without wings was the moa, which is generally considered to have become extinct in the 1500s. Wings are evolved forelimbs, and most bird species can fly. Flightless birds include ratites, penguins, and a number of diverse endemic island species. Birds also have unique digestive and respiratory systems that are highly adapted for flight. Some birds, especially corvids and parrots, are among the most intelligent animal species; a number of bird species have been observedmanufacturing and using tools, and many social species exhibit cultural transmission of knowledge across generations.

Many species undertake long distance annual migrations, and many more perform shorter irregular movements. Birds are social; they communicate using visual signals and through calls and songs, and participate in social behaviours, including cooperative breeding and hunting, flocking, and mobbing of predators. The vast majority of bird species are socially monogamous, usually for one breeding season at a time, sometimes for years, but rarely for life. Other species have polygynous ("many females") or, rarely, polyandrous ("many males") breeding systems. Eggs are usually laid in a nest and incubated by the parents. Most birds have an extended period of parental care after hatching.

Many species are of economic importance, mostly as sources of food acquired through hunting or farming. Some species, particularly songbirds and parrots, are popular as pets. Other uses include the harvesting of guano (droppings) for use as a fertiliser. Birds figure prominently in all aspects of human culture from religion to poetry to popular music. About 120–130 species have become extinct as a result of human activity since the 17th century, and hundreds more before then. Currently about 1,200 species of birds are threatened with extinction by human activities, though efforts are underway to protect them.

source:http://birding.about.com/

Diet 

Avivorous

Kevin Cole

An avivorous bird eats other birds. This is a popular diet for many of the smaller raptors, such as accipiters, which often prey on backyard birds. Several larger raptors will also prey on doves or pigeons.

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Carnivorous

Jason Bolonski

Carnivorous birds eat meat, including rodents, mammals, fish, amphibians and reptiles. All birds of prey are carnivorous, as are many other birds including different shorebirds, corvids and wading birds.

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Frugivorous

D. Sharon Pruitt

Frugivorous birds, or frugivores, are fruit-eating specialists. Orioles, waxwings and toucans are all frugivorous and will eat fruit, berries and fruit-flavored jelly in the backyard. Many other birds will also sample fruit.

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Granivorous

Yi Chen

A granivore eats primarily grains or seeds, and many birds are granivorous, including many sparrows and finches. These are easy birds to attract to the backyard with different types of birdseed.

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Insectivorous

Ben Grantham

Insectivorous birds are specialized carnivores that feed on insects. Flycatchers and warblers are insectivorous, and most birds will eat insects to feed hatchlings sufficient protein for healthy growth.

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Molluscivorous

pfly

A molluscivorous bird feeds on mollusks such as snails, slugs or oysters. Many shorebirds are molluscivores and will forage at low tide for clams and oysters, while other molluscivorous birds forage in tidal flats or swamps.

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Mucivorous

Graham Campbell

Mucivorous birds feed on the mucus of plants and trees, namely sap. Few birds are solely mucivorous, but woodpeckers, waxwings, kinglets and warblers all have a mucivorous component to their diets.

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Nectivorous

Putneypics

A nectivore feeds on flower nectar, and the most well known nectivorous birds are the hummingbirds. Other nectivores include honeycreepers and sunbirds, and nectivorous birds will visit both flowers and nectar feeders.

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Species

Species

African Grey Bird Species Considered the Einsteins of the parrot world, African grey parrots are one of the most popular pet birds. Native to Africa, there are two species of African greys: the Congo African grey (Psittacus erithacus erithacus) and the timneh African grey (Psittacus erithacus timneh). The Congo African grey is the larger of the two species, with light gray feathers, black beak and a red tail. The timneh African grey is smaller, with dark gray feathers and a maroon tail. While Congo African greys are more popular than timneh African greys, owners praise both for their intelligence and mimicking capabilities. Read more about African greys here.

Cockatiel Bird Species One of the most popular pet birds, cockatiels live up to their reputation as a friendly pet bird. Native to Australia, cockatiels are considered the best pet birds for young and old. Male cockatiels are known for their whistling capabilities, and both male and female cockatiels love to cuddle and hang out on your shoulder. There are several color mutations of cockatiels, including: normal grey, pied, pearl, lutino, albino and mutation variations (e.g., pearl-pied mutation). Read more about cockatiels here.

Conure Bird Species Conures are medium-sized parrots that bring the tropics to mind when you see their range of vivid colors. Native to South America, there are severa genera of conures, but the ones most often seen as pets are the Pyrrhura conures and the Aratinga conures. From thePyrrhura genera, the most popular conure is the green-cheeked conure. Feisty, clever and generally quieter than an Aratinga conure, the green-cheeked conure is roughly the size of a cockatiel. While not known for its talking ability, the green-cheeked conure, as well as other Pyrrhura conures, is playful and a great pet birds for the family. On the Aratinga side (Latin for “little macaw), the most popular pet conure is the sun conure and it shares many characteristics with its macaw cousins, mostly their vivid colors and noise levels. Other popular Aratinga conures are jenday conures and nanday conures. Aratinga conures can be very loud but, like the green-cheeked conure, they make great pets for families. Read more aboutconures here.

Pictures

Pictures

1.Emperor Penguin

The Emperor Penguin  is the tallest and heaviest of all living penguin species and is endemic to Antarctica. The male and female are similar in plumage and size, reaching 122 cm (48 in) in height and weighing anywhere from 22 to 45 kg (49 to 99 lb). The dorsal side and head are black and sharply delineated from the white belly, pale-yellow breast and bright-yellow ear patches. Like all penguins it is flightless, with a streamlined body, and wings stiffened and flattened into flippers for a marine habitat.

2.African Crowned Crane bird

The Grey Crowned Crane (Balearica regulorum) is a bird in the crane family Gruidae. It occurs in dry savannah in Africa south of the Sahara, although it nests in somewhat wetter habitats.

3.Puffin or Lundi

The Atlantic Puffin is a seabird species in the auk family. It is a pelagic bird that feeds primarily by diving for fish, but also eats other sea creatures, such as squid and crustaceans. Its most obvious characteristic is its brightly coloured beak during the breeding seasons. Also known as the Common Puffin, it is the only puffin species which is found in the Atlantic Ocean. The curious appearance of the bird, with its colourful huge bill and its striking piebald plumage, has given rise to nicknames such as “clown of the ocean” and “sea parrot”.

4.Cocatoo

A cockatoo is any of the 21 species belonging to the bird family Cacatuidae. Along with the Psittacidae and the Strigopidae , they make up the parrot order Psittaciformes. Placement of the cockatoos as a separate family is fairly undisputed, although many aspects of the other living lineages of parrots are unresolved.

5.American Kestrel

The American Kestrel is a small falcon. This bird was colloquially known in North America as the “Sparrow Hawk”. This name is misleading because it implies a connection with the Eurasian Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus, which is unrelated; the latter is an accipiter rather than a falcon. Though both are diurnal raptors, they are only distantly related.

6.Ara red

The Red-and-green Macaw, also known as the Green-winged Macaw, is a large mostly-red macaw of the Ara genus.

7.Gurney Pitta

The Gurney’s Pitta, Pitta gurneyi, is a medium-sized passerine bird. It breeds in the Malay Peninsula, with populations in Thailand and, especially, Burma.

8.Lorikeet

Lories and lorikeets are small to medium-sized arboreal parrots characterized by their specialized brush-tipped tongues for feeding on nectar and soft fruits. The species form a monophyletic group within the parrot family Psittacidae. Traditionally, they were considered one of the two subfamilies in that family , the other being the subfamily Psittacinae, but new insights show that it is placed in the middle of various other groups. To date, this issue has not been resolved scientifically. They are widely distributed throughout the Australasian region, including south-eastern Asia, Polynesia, Papua New Guinea, Timor Leste and Australia, and the majority have very brightly colored plumage.

9.Parrot

Parrots, also known as psittacines are birds of the roughly 372 species in 86 genera that make up the order Psittaciformes, found in most warm and tropical regions. The order is subdivided in three families: the Psittacidae , the Cacatuidae and the Strigopidae  Parrots have a pan-tropical distribution with several species inhabiting the temperate Southern Hemisphere as well. The greatest diversity of parrots is found in South America and Australasia.

10.Red kite

The Red Kite is a medium-large bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as eagles, buzzards, and harriers. The species is currently endemic to the Western Palearctic region in Europe and northwest Africa, though formerly also occurred just outside in northern Iran. It is a rare species which is resident in the milder parts of its range in western Europe and northwest Africa, but birds from northeastern and central Europe winter further south and west, reaching south to Turkey. Vagrants have reached north to Finland and south to Israel and Libya.