Diversity and Distribution

The environment in which the organism usually lives is called its habitat. In their habitats, birds find food the best places to build nests and escape routes in case of danger. An almost universal pattern of ditribution shows that more species live in the tropics than elsewhere. With evolution, birds with a common origin have diversified as they have begun to occupy different environments. This phenomenon is called adaptive, radiation. We find ocean birds, which have undergone many changes in order to live near the sea as well as birds that live in freshwater environments, in forests and so on. Each type has acquired special physical traits and behaviours as a result of adaptive process.

What they live

With their mobility, birds have conquered all areas of the earth. Despite this characteristic, there are few cosmopolitan species - that is, most birds have specific habitats determined by climate and geographic features. Count de Buffon in the eighteenth century was the first person to notice that living beings and not distributed homogenously. By analyzing how animals were dispersed on the planet, he realized that different places had different types of fauna. After the work of naturalist Charles Darwin and ornithologist Philip Sclater, it became clear that oraganism are situated in specific biogeographic regions.

No Flying Allowed

A few birds have lost their ability to fly. Their main characteristic is wing loss or reduction although for some a remarkable size may be the cause of their inability to fly. Such birds weigh more than 18kg (39 lb). This is the case with runners thatt live in remote areas of New Zealand; and swimmers, such as penguins, the have developed extraordinary aquatic abilities.

Marine Residents

Of the more than 10, 000 bird species inhabiting the earth, only about 300 have managed to adapt to marine life. To survive at sea, they have undergone multiple adaptations. For instance, marine birds have a more efficent excretory system than that of other species, including a specific gland that helps them eliminate excess salt. Most marine birds live on the coasts and have mixed behaviours; others are more aquatic than aerial. A few, such as albatrosses, petrels and shearwaters - can fly for months at a time, landing only to raise their chicks. They are called pelagic birds.

Freshwater Birds

This groups include birds that vary greatly - from common kingfishers to ducks to storks - and covers a wide spectrum. Fresh water birds live in rivers, lakes and ponds for at least part of the year and are perfectly adapted to aquatic life. Some are excellent swimmers, whereas others are great divers. An important group wades in watercourses with long legs as they fish. Fresh water birds have a varied diet and are mostly omnivorous.

Armed to Hunt

Birds of prey are hunters and are carnivorous by nature. They are perfectly equipped to eat living animals. Their eyesight is three time sharper than that of human being; their ears are designed to determine the precise status of their prey; they have strong, sharp talons; and they can kill a small mammal with the pressure of their talons alone. Their hook-shape bills can kill prey by tearing its neck with a single peck. Eagles, falcons, vultures and owls are examples of birds of prey. Birds of prey can be diurnal or nocturnal, and they are always on the lookout.

The Perchers Club

Passerines - or Passeriformes, the scientific name - form the widest and most diverse order of birds. What distinguishes them? Their feet are suited for perching and, therefore, for living among trees, although they can also stroll on the ground and through the brush. They inhabit terrestrial environments all over the world, from deserts to groves. Their complex sounds and songs originate from a very well developed syrinx. Their chicks are nidicolous - that is, naked and blind at birth. In their youth, they are agile and vivacious, with very attractive, abundant and colourful plumage.