Long Legged Birds - Part 2
- By Saronkorn Seuyouyong
- Published 09/24/2008
- Pets
- Unrated
Cranes normally build bulky nests on or close to the ground and the chicks can run about as soon as they are hatched, although it will be several weeks before they are able to fly. Most species of crane make long migratory journeys to warmer lands with the approach of winter. They take to the air in flocks, flying in ‘V’ formation, with necks extended and long legs stretched out behind.
Also illustrated are a pair of stately Saurus Cranes Cyrus antigone , indigenous to India, and the widespread dainty Demoiselle Crane Anthropoides virgo . This is the smallest member of the family and is often found in zoos.
Our final picture is of a colony of beautiful Painted Storks Ibis leucocephalus. In fact, storks and cranes are not related, though they often look alike as they walk sedately around on their long thin legs. Birds of the marshlands and lagoons, spoonbills take their name from their extraordinary bills, shaped rather like spoons. These birds are fascinating to watch on fishing expeditions as they wade through shallow water swinging their heads from side to side. They keep their half-open bills partly immersed to collect tiny fishes and insects with the minimum of effort. The African Spoonbill Platalea alba is typical of the four species of white spoonbills, which nest on the ground in huge colonies.
The noisy Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis belongs to the heron family and also nests near water. It is indigenous of Africa but it is also found in Europe and America, where it is a very recent colonist. As their name suggests, Cattle Egrets are famous for their association with cattle and other large herbivores. They often ride on the back of cattle and other large mammals, catching the insects which settle on their thick hides, or pouncing on small animals disturbed by their hosts. In return the Cattle Egret keeps a wary eye open for danger, sounding its noisy alarm call in warning.
One of the world’s most picturesque birds is the Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus rubber, which breeds in scattered colonies in Europe, West India, Asia and Africa. The flamingo’s nest is fashioned out of soft mud, which soon hardens. The hen lays her egg in the shallow depression at the top of the tower-like structure and the fluffy chick can hop down and run about a few days after it is born. Greater Flamingos put their young into a communal crèche which can be watched over by only a few adults. Herons are found in practically all parts of the world, although the greatest variety occur in warmer areas. They are long-legged, long-billed birds, superbly adapted for their mode of life, feeding in water on fish and a wide variety of other aquatic animals, including frogs, crustaceans, small waterbirds and their young. Some species have adapted to other habitats, but water remains the heron’s basic habitat.
The Louisiana Heron Hydranassa tricolor is common in the coastal saltmarshes of most of North America. It tends to be an ‘active’ feeder, wading through the shallows on the lookout for frogs, fish and other prey. In contrast, the Grey Heron Ardea cinerea of the Old World, is often a very ‘passive’ feeder, standing motionless for hours on end waiting for some unsuspecting creature to pass within striking distance of its bill. The third species illustrated, the Green Heron Butorides viriscens comes from North America and is also a passive feeder. This heron, however, will also venture into marshland to hunt grasshoppers and other insects.
Because of their diet, herons have evolved several useful features to help them deal with slippery fish and frogs. Apart from modifications to the dagger-like bill, one of the most important features of herons is the way in which they are able to keep their plumage clean, even though they are dealing with slime-covered fish and frogs. The claws of herons are modified along the edge to form a sort of grooming ‘comb’ with which they clean their plumage. The down feathers beneath the main body feathers break down into power-down a sort of talc-like powder which the heron uses in grooming after it has disposed of its messy prey.
The rapid thrust which herons make as they capture their prey is made possible by exceptionally strong muscles attached to an enlarged vertebra in the centre of the bird’s neck. These muscles contract, hurling the front part of the neck forward with tremendous force and speed.
Also illustrated are a pair of stately Saurus Cranes Cyrus antigone , indigenous to India, and the widespread dainty Demoiselle Crane Anthropoides virgo . This is the smallest member of the family and is often found in zoos.
Our final picture is of a colony of beautiful Painted Storks Ibis leucocephalus. In fact, storks and cranes are not related, though they often look alike as they walk sedately around on their long thin legs. Birds of the marshlands and lagoons, spoonbills take their name from their extraordinary bills, shaped rather like spoons. These birds are fascinating to watch on fishing expeditions as they wade through shallow water swinging their heads from side to side. They keep their half-open bills partly immersed to collect tiny fishes and insects with the minimum of effort. The African Spoonbill Platalea alba is typical of the four species of white spoonbills, which nest on the ground in huge colonies.
The noisy Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis belongs to the heron family and also nests near water. It is indigenous of Africa but it is also found in Europe and America, where it is a very recent colonist. As their name suggests, Cattle Egrets are famous for their association with cattle and other large herbivores. They often ride on the back of cattle and other large mammals, catching the insects which settle on their thick hides, or pouncing on small animals disturbed by their hosts. In return the Cattle Egret keeps a wary eye open for danger, sounding its noisy alarm call in warning.
One of the world’s most picturesque birds is the Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus rubber, which breeds in scattered colonies in Europe, West India, Asia and Africa. The flamingo’s nest is fashioned out of soft mud, which soon hardens. The hen lays her egg in the shallow depression at the top of the tower-like structure and the fluffy chick can hop down and run about a few days after it is born. Greater Flamingos put their young into a communal crèche which can be watched over by only a few adults. Herons are found in practically all parts of the world, although the greatest variety occur in warmer areas. They are long-legged, long-billed birds, superbly adapted for their mode of life, feeding in water on fish and a wide variety of other aquatic animals, including frogs, crustaceans, small waterbirds and their young. Some species have adapted to other habitats, but water remains the heron’s basic habitat.
The Louisiana Heron Hydranassa tricolor is common in the coastal saltmarshes of most of North America. It tends to be an ‘active’ feeder, wading through the shallows on the lookout for frogs, fish and other prey. In contrast, the Grey Heron Ardea cinerea of the Old World, is often a very ‘passive’ feeder, standing motionless for hours on end waiting for some unsuspecting creature to pass within striking distance of its bill. The third species illustrated, the Green Heron Butorides viriscens comes from North America and is also a passive feeder. This heron, however, will also venture into marshland to hunt grasshoppers and other insects.
Because of their diet, herons have evolved several useful features to help them deal with slippery fish and frogs. Apart from modifications to the dagger-like bill, one of the most important features of herons is the way in which they are able to keep their plumage clean, even though they are dealing with slime-covered fish and frogs. The claws of herons are modified along the edge to form a sort of grooming ‘comb’ with which they clean their plumage. The down feathers beneath the main body feathers break down into power-down a sort of talc-like powder which the heron uses in grooming after it has disposed of its messy prey.
The rapid thrust which herons make as they capture their prey is made possible by exceptionally strong muscles attached to an enlarged vertebra in the centre of the bird’s neck. These muscles contract, hurling the front part of the neck forward with tremendous force and speed.
Saronkorn Seuyouyong
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