Ecological groups of birds. Ecological groups of birds by type of food Groups of birds by type of habitat occupied

The vast class of Birds is represented by thousands of species that have adapted to different environmental conditions. Birds have mastered forests, meadows, mountains, swamps, learned to build complex nests and obtain various foods. Depending on their place of residence and behavior, ecological groups of birds are distinguished.

By location

Birds belonging to different families and species have developed similar characteristics under the influence of the environment. The table describes the characteristics of ecological groups by habitat.

Rice. 1. Water-air birds.

Table “Ecological groups of birds”

Rice. 2. Crake.

Penguins are active underwater and form a separate group of divers. They have an elongated body with a downward center of gravity and a sharp beak. They can't fly. They feed on fish.

By nesting site

There are five groups:

• crown-nested - on trees (oriole);
• shrubby - on bushes (robins);
• ground - on the ground (oatmeal);
• hollow-nesting - in hollows (pika);
• burrowers - underground (shore swallows).

Rice. 3. Nests of shore swallows.

Some species (guillemot, nightjar, owl) lay eggs on bare rocks or in hollows without building nests.

What have we learned?

From the 7th grade biology article, we learned about the main ecological groups based on habitat and nesting areas. Groups of birds, depending on their living conditions, have similar characteristics that help them survive (camouflage in grass, water-repellent lubricant in water, excellent vision in open spaces).

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One of the most numerous groups of birds is forest birds. Some of them, for example chicken ( black grouse, wood grouse, hazel grouse), They nest and mostly feed on the ground. They rake the forest floor and select insects, worms, and plant seeds from it. In this regard, they developed strong legs armed with large claws. With a short, slightly downward beak, chickens bite berries, buds, cones, and pine needles from trees and shrubs. In case of danger, they are able to quickly take off vertically. Therefore, their wings are relatively short and wide.

Small insectivorous birds live in the crowns of trees - tits, pikas, kings. Using a sharp beak, they extract insects from cones and cracks in the bark. Tenacious fingers allow them to stay on branches.

Birds of prey are also common among forest birds. Hawks(Sparrowhawk and Goshawk) are diurnal predators. They have a hook-shaped beak, powerful legs with sharp curved claws. Short rounded wings and a long tail help to maneuver among trees. Owls- nocturnal predators. Excellent vision and acute hearing allow them to navigate well in complete darkness. By feeding on mouse-like rodents and small birds, birds of prey regulate their numbers in the forest ecosystem.

The external structure of the woodpecker has adaptations for living on tree trunks. With its chisel-shaped beak, the woodpecker crushes bark and wood damaged by larvae. Then, with a thin and jagged tongue at the end, it takes out insects. In winter, the woodpecker feeds on the seeds of coniferous plants. The woodpecker is held on the tree trunk by tenacious fingers (two of them are directed forward, and two are directed back) and elastic tail feathers.

Birds living in open spaces ( demoiselle crane, bustard, ostriches), usually have good eyesight, long legs and neck.

The largest birds of open spaces are African ostriches. Ostriches have no keel on their sternum. They can't fly. Ostriches use their wings as a sail in a tailwind and as a rudder in sharp turns.

Birds of prey hunt in the steppes, fields, meadows - eagles, kites, harriers, falcons. They look out for prey from a great height and quickly dive onto it. Large birds of prey are few in number and do not cause significant harm to other species, primarily destroying sick and weakened animals. Birds that feed on animal corpses are sanitizers in ecosystems. Material from the site

Waterfowl (for example, geese, ducks, swans, eiders) have short legs with swimming membranes. The wide beak is lined with horny plates along the edge. It allows you to filter silt and retain caught prey, as well as crush mollusks. The feather cover is waterproof, making it easier for birds to swim and dive.

Herons and storks live in shallow waters. They can stand in the water for hours, catching frogs and fish. In connection with this way of life, in the process of evolution they developed long legs, a neck, and a beak.

Ecological groups of birds by habitat

There are four groups of birds according to their habitat:
Forest birds They differ from other groups in that they have rather small legs, as well as medium-sized heads. Their neck is not visible, their eyes are on the sides.
Birds of the coasts ponds and swamps has a very long neck and long legs. They need them to get food in the swamps.
Birds of open spaces They are adapted to migration and therefore have very strong wings. Their bones weigh less than the bones of other types of birds. The last group are waterfowl who live near or in bodies of water. These birds are distinguished by a fairly powerful beak, which helps them feed on fish.

Ecological groups of birds by nesting sites

In total, there are five groups of birds based on their nesting areas. The main difference is only in the type of nest in which these birds live: Crown nested Birds build their nests, as the name suggests, in the crown of trees (orioles, zabliki). Shrubs birds place their nests near or in the bushes themselves (wren, robin). Ground-nesting decide to place their nest directly on the ground (larks, pipits, buntings, waders). Hollow-nesting birds live directly in hollows (woodpeckers, tits, pikas, flycatchers). And the last group of birds, burrowers(shore swallows, bee-eaters, kingfishers), live in burrows, underground.

Ecological groups of birds by type of nutrition. On this basis, four groups are distinguished. Representatives of each of them eat a certain type of food: Insectivores birds (for example, tits or pikas) have thin, pointed beaks, thanks to which they can pull their prey off leaves or out of thin crevices. Herbivores birds, including granivores (for example, 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 us pull out seeds from the cones of various trees. Predator birds(for example, an eagle) feed on various small birds. They have strong legs with powerful claws, thanks to which they grab prey. Omnivorous birds(eg magpie) have a cone-shaped beak which helps them eat different types of food. Insectivores tits, pikas, kinglets, and warblers have thin, pointed beaks that allow them to get insects from crevices in the bark, grab them from leaves, and remove them from the scales of cones. Sharp claws and long fingers allow these birds to stay on branches.

Bird flights: Some birds disappear for the winter and others appear not only in the North. In the south and even near the equator, birds make seasonal migrations. In the north, birds are forced to fly away by cold weather and lack of food, and in the south by the alternation of wet and dry seasons. Where birds breed, i.e. in the north and in temperate climates, they spend less of the year, and spend most of the year flying and living in wintering areas. However, every year migratory birds return to where they hatched last year. Some birds, during a favorable winter, remain in their homeland, but in harsh winters they wander from place to place. These are nomadic birds. These include some birds that nest high in the mountains; in the cold season they descend into the valleys. Before departure, birds often form flocks and sometimes migrate over long distances. Birds leave places with a cold climate earlier in the fall than warmer regions; in the spring they appear later in the north than in the south. Each species of bird flies and arrives at a certain time, although, of course, the weather affects the timing of departure and arrival. Birds of some species fly alone, while others fly in groups or flocks. Many species are characterized by a certain order of arrangement of birds in a flock. Finches and other passerines fly in random groups, crows - in sparse chains, curlews and oystercatchers - in a "line", geese and cranes - in a "corner". In most birds, males and females fly at the same time. But the females of the chaffinch fly away in the fall before the males, and the males of the storks fly home in the spring before the females. The flight speed of birds during migration is relatively low. For example, a quail has a speed of 41 km/h. The highest speed of the black swift is 150 km/h.

Flight altitude is average. Many small passerines fly low above the ground. Even lower - with a headwind, heavy clouds, precipitation.
Large species fly at approximately 1-2 thousand m, medium and small ones - about
1000-500 m. However, in the Himalaya region, mountain geese on migration were observed at an altitude of about 8 thousand m above sea level.

During spring migration, birds usually fly faster than during autumn migration. The direction of flights is determined not only by the location of wintering and nesting grounds, but also by places along their route that are favorable for feeding and resting. Therefore, not all birds in the northern hemisphere fly from north to south in the fall. Many northern European birds fly to the west and southwest in the fall and winter in Western Europe.

Ecology of Birds The geographical distribution of birds is extremely wide. They populate almost the entire surface of the earth and penetrate north to the Pole. The number of breeding bird species alone on Rudolf Island (Franz Josef Land - 81°51/N) is 8. During the drift of the icebreaking steamer "Sedov" at 82°N. w. Little auk, puffin, three species of gulls, and guillemot were seen. On Grant's Land between 82 and 83° N. w. Snowy owl, tundra partridge, snow bunting, several species of waders, tern, skua, eider, long-tailed duck and brent goose nest. Employees of Russian drifting polar stations have repeatedly observed birds such as snow buntings and seagulls in the North Pole area.

In the extreme south, as recent observations of Soviet Antarctic expeditions have shown, 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 altitudes of up to 2 thousand m above sea level. Gulls and terns in highland Asia were observed at altitudes of up to 4,700 m above sea level, and vultures - at an altitude of 7 thousand m. Even hummingbirds in some places are common up to an altitude of 4-5 thousand m. On the other hand, some seabirds (eiders, cormorants, penguins) when obtaining food, dive into water to a depth of 20 m.

The wide distribution of birds and their presence in very diverse, often unfavorable living conditions is understandable if we take into account a number of progressive features of these animals. Thus, birds, most of which have a constant and high body temperature, can withstand a variety of environmental temperature conditions relatively easily. It is especially necessary to keep in mind the perfection of reproduction, in which the eggs develop in relatively constant conditions of the nest (primarily temperature).

Possessing the ability to fly, birds can relatively easily overcome obstacles that are impassable for most other vertebrates (including mammals). The ability of birds to move quickly allows them to inhabit areas where existence is possible only in a few months of the year, and to fly from these areas, sometimes over vast distances, to places where living conditions at a given time of year are more favorable. The colonization of arctic and boreal spaces by birds is in the vast majority of cases associated with the indicated biological trait of birds.

From the above, of course, it does not follow that the possibilities of distribution of these species are unlimited. Although birds are able to tolerate very diverse 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 temperature conditions, since at low temperatures there are few insects, that is, food; In addition, the short period of insect activity during the year does not provide the opportunity to feed the chicks. Temperature conditions greatly determine the distribution of plant species with which birds associate as a source of food or shelter. The indirect effect of temperature on the life of water and wading birds is of great importance, since cooling causes freezing of the soil and water bodies where these species feed.
Research by V.V. Stanchinsky and P.V. Serebrovsky has established that the northern limit of the winter distribution of mallard ducks, mergansers, sea and tufted ducks, and goldeneye coincides with the January isotherm of -4° C. The -2° C isotherm determines the limit of the winter distribution of some loons, grebes, whooper swan, pintail duck, woodcock, snipe and some others. Mass wintering of waterfowl, herons, and waders is limited by the January isotherm of +3° C. It should be taken into account here that low temperatures sharply increase the body heat transfer of birds. Thus, a bird the size of a sparrow at 22° C emits 1339 kJ per hour, and at 14° C it is 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 direct importance of humidity for the distribution of birds is relatively negligible. This is understandable, since the structure of the skin reliably protects the bird’s body from drying out and getting wet. Only unusually long cold rains can have a detrimental effect on the body condition of birds. First of all, species that do not have a coccygeal gland suffer, whose plumage therefore easily gets wet. Such are, 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 die, which serve as food for birds such as ducks, waders, marsh hens, etc. Increased humidity, often associated with heavy clouds and low temperatures, disrupts the normal functioning of many species of plants and animals. Plant seed production decreases, many insects become inactive, and their reproduction is reduced. As a result, feeding conditions for birds deteriorate. 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, begin nesting again.

Light conditions are essential in the life of birds. This can be seen from the fact that the vast majority of birds lead a strictly diurnal lifestyle. Reducing the duration of the daylight hours 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 lower temperatures. As a result, the gap between the need for food and the ability to obtain it becomes so large that many species are forced to migrate south, to longer day conditions. It is characteristic that often birds, flying somewhat to the south, do not leave the boundaries of their characteristic landscape zone, and although the temperature conditions do not improve, the longer daylight hours provide the opportunity to collect the required amount of food here. Apparently, the winter migrations of tits, tap dancers and a number of other birds are largely connected with this. On the other hand, there is an opinion that the flight of a number of species to the north in spring for nesting is associated with relatively short days in tropical latitudes.

The sensitivity of birds to a lack of light varies significantly among different species. Here are some data characterizing the critical minimum illumination, expressed in lux (i.e., in units of illumination created by one conventional international “candle” from a distance of 1 m with perpendicular incidence of rays over an area of ​​1 m2): finch - 12, flycatcher - pied - 4, cuckoo - 1, field thrush - 0.1.

Excess lighting has no negative meaning. In the Far North, where the sun does not set for several months in the summer, nocturnal bird species do not suffer deprivation and easily switch to a diurnal lifestyle. Such are the white and hawk owls, the tiger-footed owl. Moreover, it is the continuous daylight 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 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 a nest in the Arctic is shorter than that of the same species, but in more southern latitudes. Apparently, development occurs faster in the young after leaving the nest.

There are relatively few specialized nocturnal birds. These include eagle owls, owls, and kiwi. However, some nocturnal species also hunt during the day when there is a lack of food, for example, the short-eared owl and some owls. There are species that lead a crepuscular lifestyle. Such are nightjars and some herons.

Ecological groups of birds

Due to their wide distribution, birds have adapted to very diverse living conditions. As a result of this, various ecological groups of birds arose, characterized by their attachment to certain habitats, using certain food and developing, to one degree or another, unique adaptations for obtaining it. The system outlined below is based, on the one hand, on the connection of birds with the environment (forests, swamps, ponds, etc.), on the other, on 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. Thus, 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 soil (like, for example, moles among mammals). In terms of analysis, the birds remained a very monotonous integral group.

Bush-forest birds

A particularly large group of species whose nature of connections with the forest environment is very diverse.

1. The most specialized group are tree-climbing birds. They forage for food in trees (or bushes), and here they also make nests on tree branches or in hollows. In connection with foraging in trees, the paws are strong, usually with curved claws; Many birds (for example, woodpeckers, nuthatches) have two fingers directed forward and two back. Woodpeckers have a tail, the feathers of which are hard and elastic, and serve as a support when climbing. When climbing, parrots use their beaks to grab onto branches.

By the nature of their diet, bush-forest birds are insectivorous, fruit-spermivorous and nectarivorous.

Examples of insectivorous birds are woodpeckers, which destroy bark and wood with their strong chisel-shaped beaks, extracting insects and their larvae. Pikas, nuthatches, and whirligigs, which have a thin and long beak, get food from crevices and cracks in the bark.

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