Bird Habitat is the area with ecological and environmental characteristics where a species has adapted to find essential elements such as food, water, shelter, and mates for reproduction. Are birds restricted to specific habitats? Birds can fly and are seemingly everywhere, but they occupy specific areas (habitats) that meet all or part of these essential […]
Apartment building and urban park in the city of Lima- Peru. Urban Habitats Urban habitats are composed of a mixture of trees, bushes, grasses, and bare ground interspersed with human created elements such as buildings, houses, cables, and utility posts among others. This combination of elements is found in cities and towns. Birds adapted to
Stream and bank running through a forest interior. Photo: Alfredo Begazo Streamsides Streamsides as habitat is defined as the area that borders the running water of a stream. This micro-habitat differs from the previously defined stream habitat where the habitat is the area within the stream. Some bird species are associated only with streamsides. Some
Vine tangles in the mid-story of an evergreen tropical forest in Peru. Photo: Alfredo Begazo. Vine Tangles Vine tangles are an important feature in the Evergreen Lowland forest, but decrease and become nearly absent in evergreen montane forests. Vine tangles include foliage and a mat of tangled vines that in some cases traps dead leaves.
Army ants marching on the forest floor as the flush insect and small vertebrate, which become potential prey for birds that follow the ants. Army Ants Army ants are not a micro-habitat in the traditional sense of the word but represent an essential element for a few bird species that depend on them. A few
Sand beach on the shores of the Pacific Ocean. Photo: Alfredo Begazo. Coastal Sand Beaches and Mudflats Coastal sand beaches and mudflats are subject to times under and receding water. Coastal sand beaches occur along ocean shores and are subject to the constant washing of waves. Mudflats are subject to tides and the periods of
Brackish marshes in northwest Peru. Photo: Segundo Crespo. Saltwater and Brackish Marshes Saltwater and brackish marshes are found in estuaries that border saltwater shores as well as in areas with coastal freshwater bodies of water subject to coastal tides. In both cases, these marshes are largely populated by sedges and bulrushes (Scirpus spp.) that often
Rocky outcrops are used as nesting and roosting sites in regions where these features are scarce. Rocky Outcrops Rocky outcrops, rocky walls, cliffs, and caves in regions where these features of the land are not common constitute a micro-habitat for some species of birds. Often the dependence for rocky outcrops is so important to the
Ground to the canopy view of a treefall gap. Treefalls Treefalls are gaps created by a fallen down tree. Treefalls consists of early successional shrubs and thickets that colonize openings in what was a continuous forest. The sudden availability of light in what previously was forest understory creates an opportunity for first colonizing plant species.
Stand of bamboo Guadua angustifolia. Photo: Alfredo Begazo. Bamboo Stands of bamboo occur in disturbed areas surrounded by forest or sometimes courses of water. Bamboo is a type of grass (Gramineae) that colonizes new areas for a life cycle, which ends when the stand produces seed. The dominant bamboo species in the humid lowland Tropical
