Ecological groups of birds. Ecological groups of birds by type of food Ecological birds examples
Ecological groups of birds distinguished on the following grounds:
- according to the nature of nutrition
- by habitat,
- according to the nature of nesting.
Often birds from different, sometimes distant from each other, systematic groups fall into the same ecological group, since taxonomy is based on genetic proximity, degree of relationship, and common origin.
By habitat There are four groups of birds:
- Forest birds differ from other groups in that they have rather small legs, as well as a medium-sized head. Their necks are not visible, their eyes are on the sides.
- Birds of the coasts of reservoirs and swamps have a very long neck and long legs. They need them in order to get food in the swamps.
- Birds of open spaces are adapted for migration therefore they have very strong wings. Their bones weigh less than the bones of other types of birds.
- Waterfowl that live near water bodies or in water bodies. These birds are distinguished by a fairly powerful beak, which helps them eat fish.
Ecological groups of birds nesting sites:
- Crown nesting birds build their nests, as the name implies, in the crown of trees (orioles, glare).
- Bush birds place their nests near or in the bushes themselves (wren, robin).
- Ground-nesting ones decide to place their nest right on the ground (larks, pipits, buntings, sandpipers).
- Hollow nesting birds live right in hollows (woodpeckers, tits, pikas, flycatchers).
- A group of birds, norniks (shore swallows, bee-eaters, kingfishers), live in burrows underground.
Ecological groups of birds by type of food:
- Insectivorous birds (tits or pikas) have thin, pointed beaks, thanks to which they can pull their prey from leaves or take it out of thin cracks.
- Herbivorous birds, including granivorous (greenfinches) have a powerful beak, thanks to which they can break through the dense shells of fruits. And the sharp ends of the beak help me to pull out the seeds from the cones of various trees.
- Birds of prey (eagle) feed on various small birds. They have strong legs with powerful claws, thanks to which they grab prey.
- Omnivorous birds (magpies) have a cone-shaped beak that helps them eat various types of food.
Birds open spaces there are two directions in device development. Some birds are adapted to move on the ground in search of food. Fleeing from enemies, they almost do not use their wings, but quickly run away. Others, on the contrary, mainly use their wings when moving and hardly use their legs. First group of birds lost the ability to fly and they had wing reduction. At the same time they have strong legs developed, fingers shortened and back toe disappeared. All these signs are useful for fast running. An example of birds that have adapted to running can be various types of ostriches, chickens, etc.
The second group of birds(diurnal predators, owls, etc.) has improved wings, and their legs can retain normal development or even be reduced to a certain extent.
birds of the forest use all horizons of woody vegetation both in relation to shelter for the nest and in relation to food. The legs of most birds, in connection with the arboreal way of life, are arranged in such a way that free fingers are opposed to each other. This gives them the ability to cover branches from two sides. A number of bird species have adapted climb vertically growing trunks trees (nuthatchets, pikas and woodpeckers). All these birds fingernails are very sharp and strongly curved. Woodpeckers and pikas also use their tail when climbing., which serves partly as a support, and partly for balance during the period of reclining the front of the body. Finches, tits and many other species of birds have adapted to climb branches and hang from below. Climbing trees, birds get their own food. A smaller part finds food for itself using wings. Thus, the birds of the forest also have an adaptation in two directions - in the development of the legs and in the development of the wings.
Among birds of prey distinguish:
- a detachment of diurnal birds of prey that hunt during the day,
- a group of owls hunting at night.
All of these birds have powerful legs, which are armed with large, sharp and strong claws, and hooked beak.
Diurnal Birds of Prey settle in the steppes, deserts, forests, on the plains, in the mountains. They do not eat plant foods at all. They feed on animals, birds, fish and insects. Some types of predators catch live prey (falcons, hawks, eagles, buzzards, etc.), while others eat only dead animals (vultures, vultures, vultures).
Ecological features of swamps and coasts of small reservoirs very similar. Therefore, some species of birds are common both for the shores of water bodies and for swamps.
When obtaining food, some marsh birds use during movement mainly feet, other - wings.
In the first group of birds, the legs are characterized by a number of features:
- great length,
- deprivation of plumage at the ankle joint (ankles),
- a considerable length of the front toes, often connected by membranes.
All these are adaptations for living in places with viscous soil and the presence of shallow waters. Sandpipers, herons, cranes, storks, ducks, diurnal predators, gulls, etc. live in swamps and on the coasts of water bodies.
Birds of the steppes and deserts. Due to the fact that it is difficult for birds to hide in open spaces, in the conditions of steppes and deserts they have formed in the course of evolution long legs and neck. Thanks to this adaptation, birds can look far into the area and see the approach of various predators. Birds of the steppes and deserts walk a lot in search of food among the vegetation, so their legs, as a rule, are well developed. Fleeing from danger, some birds of the steppes and deserts do not fly away, but run away.
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Ecological groups of birds
According to the main morphological features, birds represent a relatively homogeneous group of animals - more of the same type than mammals. This is explained primarily by the fact that their evolution followed the path of conquering the air environment, adapting to active flight. Flight as the main mode of movement left a certain imprint on the structure of birds and determined the similarity of the general organization. However, uniformity should be understood only in the most general sense. In appearance and structure, birds are diverse: this is manifested in the way of life, ways of moving and getting food, which in turn is determined by the habitat. In the process of evolution, birds settled throughout the globe and adapted to life in various habitats, in all geographical zones. Existence, in unequal conditions, led to the formation of different ecological groups. All birds can be schematically divided into 4 ecological groups: artisanal-forest, swamp-meadow, steppe-desert, aquatic.
Artisanal forest birds. The wings are relatively short, wide and blunt, the wing is usually well developed - this gives them good maneuverability in flight, allows them to quickly take off and land, which is important when living in the forest. The toes are located at the same level, and in most birds three fingers are directed forward, one back, allowing you to easily cover the branches. The special device of the tendons of the legs, thanks to which the fingers automatically compress the branch, allows the birds to stay on it without muscle tension. The group of artisanal forest birds is the most numerous and is characterized by many more specific adaptations to various conditions of the forest environment. These adaptations are associated with modes of movement, feeding and nesting habits. This ecological group can be divided into several subgroups.
Tree-climbing birds are the most specialized of the artisanal forest birds. They almost always stay on trees and bushes, looking for food and making nests there. Due to their arboreal lifestyle, they have strong paws with sharp, curved claws.
Many tree-climbing birds have adapted well to life in the crowns: tits, kinglets, warblers, tap-dances, siskins and others have the ability to find food on branches and leaves.
Grasping fingers and strong leg flexors allow them to cling to and hang from the thinnest twigs. Crossbills move from branch to branch with the help of paws and a strong cruciform beak, with which they extract seeds from under the scales of cones.
Some tree-climbing birds have developed a different ecological niche; they feed exclusively (pika) or mainly (woodpeckers, nuthatch) from tree trunks. In this regard, woodpeckers and pikas have a special structure of the legs (two fingers point forward, two back), tail and beak. Jumping up the trunk, these birds rely on stiff tail feathers. The nuthatch climbs somewhat differently: it can move not only up, but also upside down, its legs are very strong and mobile, and it does not have to use its tail. The mode of movement and feeding of these poison dart frogs also determines the nature of nesting: they nest in hollows or behind loose bark (pika).
Birds foraging in the air. The group is less extensive than tree climbers. They live in the forest, nest in trees, but hunt in the air. Such are flycatchers, lying in wait for flying insects, sitting on a branch. They are characterized by a wide mouth slit and nimble flight.
Birds that nest and spend the night only on the ground. Some species of forest birds live in the forest or in the bush, they get food both on trees and on the ground, but nest and spend the night only on the ground. Hazel grouse, black grouse, capercaillie in summer feed on berries, seeds, vegetative parts of plants and insects on the ground, and in winter with tree buds, seeds, needles (capercaillie) exclusively on trees. In winter, these birds grow fringes of hard horny scales along the edges of their fingers, helping to stay on slippery, sometimes icy branches.
There are species of forest birds that nest in trees and gather food on the ground (forest pigeons), or make nests on the ground and feed on trees (warblers, etc.).
Forest birds are of great and varied importance in the life of the forest. Their role in the fight against forest pests is especially great. Many birds spread the seeds of trees and shrubs, contributing to the afforestation of burned areas, cutting areas, and glades. bird ecological group food
Swamp-meadow birds. The group is not as numerous and diverse as the previous one. Attachment to treeless, to some extent swampy areas with moist soil or to the coasts of shallow water bodies is characteristic. They forage almost exclusively from the surface of the earth, from the bottom, or from moist soil. They have long legs with a bare metatarsus and thin elongated toes that allow them to move through swampy places. There are several subgroups of marsh-meadow birds.
Walking waders are large and medium-sized birds with very long legs, a long neck, and a stiff, long beak. This includes herons, cranes, storks inhabiting marshy meadows, moss swamps, and reeds. Food is obtained from the surface of the soil or by extracting from the water. Birds usually roam in places where the vegetation is lower than them, which allows them to notice danger in advance and fly away.
Climbing wading birds are medium and small birds that live in dense thickets of grass in swamps, wet meadows or along the banks of reservoirs. These include the corncrake, the Sultan's hen, the chauffeur and other types of marsh hens. Unlike representatives of the previous type, they lead a hidden lifestyle, skilfully running among the thick grass and along the creases. The beak and legs are relatively short, but the fingers are long and flexible, which makes it possible to quickly climb the randomly piled stalks of grass and reeds. They do not fly well, and in danger they flee. Food is obtained from the surface of the earth and plants.
Marsh waders are close to birds of this type: snipe, great snipe, harsh snipe. Their beak is long and soft, as they feed by extracting small animals from the soil. When threatened, they hide. They fly well, but for a short distance.
Shoal waders are small birds, usually with more or less long beaks. These include a variety of sandpipers, turnstones, stilt-waders, etc. They keep on the shallows, where they get food from the surface or from the soil, launching their beak into it, as well as from the bottom of the reservoir. Many have quite long legs.
Steppe-desert birds are a relatively small ecological group, including bustards, grouse, and larks from our birds. Inhabitants of open spaces, often with poor sparse vegetation. Protective coloring is well expressed. They nest only on the ground, arranging primitive nests. In this group, 2 well-defined adaptive types can be distinguished.
Running birds are large and medium-sized birds with relatively long legs that can run fast: bustard, jack, little bustard. In connection with the adaptation to running on hard ground, they lost their back toe. The neck is long, the eyes are large, the vision is sharp, the birds notice the danger in a timely manner and leave. They rarely hide. During the non-breeding season they keep in herds. Food is pecked from the surface of the earth.
Fast-flying birds are mainly represented by sandgrouse and saja, birds of medium size, with short legs and very long wings, sharp, like those of all good flyers. They live in conditions similar to birds of the previous type, but have a different type of adaptations. In danger, they hide, tightly adhering to the surface of the earth. At the same time, they make large flights to the watering place every day, and they fly at high speed.
Water birds are characterized by dense plumage, strong development of down, well-developed coccygeal gland, swimming membranes on the legs. This ecological group of our birds includes auks, gulls, tube-noses, loons, grebes, copepods, anseriformes. The nature and degree of connection with the aquatic environment, as well as morphological adaptations, are quite diverse in these birds. In this group, the following main subgroups are distinguished.
Divers are the most adapted to life in the water. This includes auks, loons, and grebes. They spend most of their lives in water bodies, they are connected with land only during the nesting period. Food is obtained exclusively in water, in its thickness and at the bottom. They dive and swim great. On land they move with difficulty, fly poorly. Nests are made close to water.
Air-water birds - spend most of their lives in the air, looking for food (fish and other aquatic animals) in the water. This type includes gulls, terns, tube-nosed. Having noticed the prey, they rush after it, slightly plunging into the water and again rise to the wing. They swim well, their legs are equipped with membranes, but they do not dive (with rare exceptions). The beak is strong, elongated, in most of them it is somewhat curved at the end. They walk freely on land.
Land-aquatic birds are the least connected with water. This includes ducks, swans, geese. They often nest far from water bodies. However, the relationship with water is not the same. More than others, diving ducks are associated with water, which feed only on water bodies, dive well, and get food from a considerable depth. They fly relatively well, but take to the air with difficulty. Less connected to water are real or river ducks, which often feed on land, and in water bodies they prefer shallow overgrown areas with grass and bushes. They dive badly, they fly well. Geese are least connected with water. Although they nest near water bodies, they rarely go into the water and feed almost exclusively on land. The filtering apparatus of geese is poorly developed, and the horny teeth along the edges of the beak are adapted to plucking plants.
Birds of prey are sometimes isolated into an independent group. They are not associated with any specific habitat and are found in a variety of environments. However, they form a number of well-defined adaptive types, once again confirming the diversity of bird adaptations to living conditions,
Vulture scavengers are large birds adapted to long soaring at high altitudes, during which they look out for carrion lying on the ground. Live prey is usually not caught, and therefore the paws are weak. The head and neck are completely or largely bare. All species are inhabitants of mountainous countries.
Buzzards (buzzards) and eagles have good, but worse than vultures, ability to soar. They feed on animals of various sizes, which they look out for from the air, and grab them on the ground.
Often guarding prey, sitting at the holes of rodents. They live in a variety of habitats. Owls are close to this type.
Harriers are beautiful flyers with long wings and a tail. They look out for prey not from a soaring flight, but from a waving one. When hunting, they fly low to the ground. The prey is caught on the ground.
Hawks are predominantly forest predators, specialized in catching birds that lie in wait while sitting in the crown of trees or bushes. They rush to prey from an ambush and catch in the air. Short wings and a long tail provide a nimble flight among branches and trunks, but do not make it possible to overtake prey for a long time in open spaces.
Falcons are the best flyers among predators with long narrow wings and a relatively short tail. The most typical representatives - peregrine falcon, gyrfalcon, hobby falcon, saker falcon - look for prey (birds) in the air, often catch up with it at a great distance and grab it in the air. At the same time, the falcon rushes at the bird from above and, flying with tremendous speed near it on a tangent, kills with the exposed claw of the back finger, usually ripping the back of the victim. Falcons inhabit a variety of lands, but hunt in open places.
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Birds of prey appeared on Earth about 75-35 million years ago, having developed from birds similar to chickens. Their main feature is the presence of two special areas in each eye, like a sensitive spot on the retina. A person has only one such zone (in each eye, of course). But their sense of smell is weak, with the exception of condors.
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Falcons are distinguished from other birds of prey by the presence of a tooth on the top of their beak, with which they skillfully tear their prey. The largest falcon is the Icelandic gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus), which is found in the tundra. Its length is 62 cm, its wingspan is more than one and a half meters and its weight is more than 2 kg.
AUSTRALIAN WEDGE-TAILED EAGLE A large, diurnal bird of prey in the plains and mountains of Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea. The Australian wedge-tailed eagle is a rather large bird, the weight of an adult individual can reach up to 5 kilograms, and the body length can be up to 1 meter. For the most part, these representatives of the genus of eagles live in pairs, building huge nests for themselves in places with good visibility. About 70 - 80% of the diet of these birds are rabbits or hares, they also do not disdain carrion, large lizards and occasionally attack young lambs.
Falcons are a large genus of birds of prey that live almost everywhere except Antarctica. All representatives of this genus have wedge-shaped wings, allowing them to dive at high speed during hunting and grayish-brown feathers with characteristic dark streaks. Also, the falcon is the fastest bird, it is able to fly at a speed of 300 km / h, which is almost 2 times faster than the maximum speed of the Golden Eagle 180 km / h.
WHITE OWL A bird belonging to the owl family, which is the largest in the Arctic. The plumage of adult snowy owls has a patronizing white color, with gray feathers located over the entire area of \u200b\u200bthe body. The predominant habitats of snowy owls are the tundra zones of Eurasia, North America, Greenland, you can meet these birds on some islands of the Arctic Ocean. Unlike their many relatives, snowy owls hunt during the daytime, looking for prey, sitting on trees and various hills, or flying around the territory of their hunting, usually located at a considerable distance from the nesting places of these birds. The victims of snowy owls are usually rodents, hares, small predators and birds, which they drive as a result of persecution.
GOSHAWK The largest species of raptors belonging to the hawk order, inhabiting vast areas of Europe, Asia, and North America. Goshawks are the owners of thick white eyebrows over red-brown eyebrows and a very conspicuous variegated body color, consisting of a bluish-gray back and wings, a white tail with several dark wings and an almost white chest with characteristic transverse stripes of a darker color. These birds live mainly in forest and mountainous areas, where they build their nests on the branches of tall trees with a good overview of the surroundings. Hawks hunt - goshawks mainly for birds, mammals, invertebrates and various types of reptiles.
Ecology of birds The geographical distribution of birds is exceptionally wide. They inhabit almost the entire surface of the earth and penetrate north to the pole. The number of only nesting bird species on Rudolph Island (Franz Josef Land - 81 ° 51 / N) is 8. During the drift of the icebreaker "Sedov" at 82 ° N. sh. Razorbill, puffin, three species of gulls, and murre were encountered. On Grant's Land between 82 and 83 ° N. sh. snowy owl, grouse, snow bunting, several species of waders, tern, skua, eider, duck-tailed duck and black goose nest. Employees of Russian drifting polar stations have repeatedly observed such birds as snow bunting and gull in the North Pole region.
In the far south, as shown by recent observations by Soviet Antarctic expeditions, birds penetrate even into the interior of the Antarctic continent.
The vertical distribution of birds is also quite significant. Cassowaries in New Guinea are found at an altitude of up to 2 thousand meters above sea level. Gulls and terns in highland Asia were observed at an altitude of up to 4700 m above sea level, and vultures - at an altitude of 7 thousand m. Even hummingbirds are distributed in places up to a height of 4-5 thousand m. cormorants, penguins) dive into the water to a depth of 20 m when foraging.
The wide distribution of birds and their presence in very diverse, often unfavorable living conditions is understandable, given a number of progressive features of these animals. Thus, birds, most of which have a constant and high body temperature, relatively easily endure a variety of temperature conditions of the external environment. It is especially necessary to keep in mind the perfection of reproduction, in which eggs develop under relatively constant conditions of the nest (primarily temperature).
Possessing the ability to fly, birds relatively easily overcome obstacles that are impassable for most other vertebrates (including mammals). The ability of birds to move quickly allows them to populate areas where existence is possible only in a few months of the year, and fly from these areas sometimes over a huge distance to places where life conditions are more favorable at a given time of the year. The colonization of arctic and boreal spaces by birds in the overwhelming majority of cases is associated with the indicated biological trait of birds.
Of course, it does not follow from what has been said that the possibilities for the distribution of these species are unlimited. Although birds are able to tolerate a wide variety of temperature conditions, the importance of the temperature factor in the life of birds is enormous. The northern limit of the distribution of insectivorous birds is ultimately determined by the conditions of temperature, since at low temperatures insects, i.e., food, become scarce; in addition, the short period of insect activity during the year does not provide the opportunity to feed the chicks. Temperature conditions to a large extent determine the distribution of plant species with which birds are associated as a source of food or shelter. Of great importance is the indirect effect of temperature on the life of aquatic and wading birds, since cooling causes freezing of the soil and water bodies where these species feed.
The studies of V. V. Stanchinsky and P. V. Serebrovsky established that the northern limit of the winter distribution of the mallard duck, mergansers, black and crested ducks, goldeneye coincides with the January isotherm of -4 ° C. The isotherm of -2 ° C determines the border of the winter distribution of some loons, grebes, whooper swan, pintail ducks, woodcock, snipe and some others. Mass winterings of waterfowl, herons, and waders are limited by the January isotherm of +3 ° C. Here it should be taken into account that low temperatures sharply increase the heat transfer of the body of birds. So, a bird the size of a sparrow at 22 ° C releases 1339 kJ per hour, and at 14 ° C already 4166 kJ. Increased heat transfer, naturally, causes an increased need for food, and the possibility of obtaining it at this time, on the contrary, is reduced.
The immediate importance of humidity for the distribution of birds is comparatively negligible. This is understandable, since the structure of the skin reliably protects the body of birds from drying out and getting wet. Only unusually long cold rains can adversely affect the condition of the bird's body. First of all, species that do not have a coccygeal gland suffer, the plumage of which, in connection with this, easily gets wet. Such, for example, bustards and little bustards.
The indirect value of humidity is incomparably greater. During droughts, the area of reservoirs and swamps is reduced, animals and plants that serve as food for birds such as ducks, waders, marsh chickens, etc. die. High humidity, often associated with high cloudiness and low temperatures, disrupts the normal life of many plant and animal species. Seed production of plants decreases, many insects become inactive, their reproduction is reduced. As a result, feeding conditions for birds worsen. Increased precipitation often leads to flooding of nests and death of eggs and chicks. It is curious that birds, after the death of their nests, start nesting again.
Light conditions play an important role in the life of birds. This can be seen at least from the fact that the vast majority of birds lead a strictly diurnal lifestyle. Reducing the duration of the light part of the day makes the existence of many birds difficult, as it reduces the possibility of obtaining the required amount of food. It should be taken into account that the length of the day decreases in the autumn-winter period, when the need for food increases due to a decrease in temperature. As a result, the gap between the need for food and the ability to get it becomes so large that many species are forced to migrate to the south, in conditions of a longer day. It is characteristic that often the birds, flying somewhat to the south, do not go beyond the boundaries of their characteristic landscape zone, and although the temperature conditions do not improve, the longer daylight hours provide here the opportunity to collect the required amount of food. Apparently, the winter migrations of chickadees, red-eyed birds and a number of other birds are largely associated with this. On the other hand, there is an opinion that the departure of a number of species to the north in spring for nesting is associated with a relatively short day in tropical latitudes.
The sensitivity of birds to a lack of light varies significantly in different species. Here are some data characterizing the critical minimum of illumination, expressed in lux (i.e., in units of illumination created by one conventional international "candle" from a distance of 1 m with a perpendicular incidence of rays on an area of 1 m 2): finch - 12, flycatcher - pied - 4, cuckoo - 1, blackbird - 0.1.
Too much light is not negative. In the Far North, where the sun does not set for several months in summer, nocturnal bird species do not suffer hardships and easily switch to a daytime lifestyle. Such are the white and hawk owls, the furry owl. Moreover, it is the continuous day that makes it possible for a number of birds to breed in the Arctic during a very short summer. It has been noted that in some species the feeding of chicks is carried out around the clock (guillemots), in others - with a very short break in the middle of the night (passerines). As a result, the period of development of chicks in the nest in the Arctic is shorter than in the same species, but in more southern latitudes. Faster, apparently, is the development of the young after leaving the nest.
There are relatively few specialized nocturnal birds. These include owls, owls, kiwi. However, some nocturnal species, with a lack of food, hunt during the day, for example, the short-eared owl and some owls. There are species that lead a twilight lifestyle. Such are nightjars, some herons.
Ecological groups of birds
Due to the wide distribution of birds, they have adapted to very diverse conditions of existence. As a result, various ecological groups of birds arose, characterized by attachment to certain habitats, using certain foods and developing, to one degree or another, peculiar adaptations for obtaining them. The system outlined below is based on, on the one hand, the connection of birds with the environment (forests, swamps, reservoirs, etc.), on the other hand, the nature of food and methods of obtaining it. It must be borne in mind that the overall diversity, and most importantly, the depth of adaptations to life in various environments in birds is much less than in all other terrestrial vertebrates. So, among birds there are no species that live only in water (like, for example, cetaceans, some tailed amphibians); birds have not adapted at all to life in the thickness of the soil (as, for example, moles among mammals). In the analyzed respect, the birds remained a very monotonous integral group.
Artisanal forest birds
A particularly numerous group of species in which the nature of relationships with the forest environment is very diverse.
1. The most specialized group are tree-climbing birds. They forage on trees (or on bushes), but here they also arrange nests on tree branches or in hollows. In connection with foraging on trees, the paws are strong, usually with curved claws; many birds (for example, woodpeckers, nuthatch) have two fingers pointing forward and two back. In woodpeckers, the tail, whose feathers are hard and elastic, serves as a support when climbing. When climbing, parrots use a beak that grabs branches.
By the nature of their diet, artisanal forest birds are insectivorous, fruit-eating and nectar-eating.
Examples of insectivorous birds are woodpeckers, which destroy bark and wood with a strong chisel-shaped beak, taking out insects and their larvae. Pikas, nuthatches, vertinecks, having a thin and long beak, get their food from cracks and cracks in the bark.
