Birds

 Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic, egg-laying, vertebrate animals. With around 10,000 living species, they are the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. 

Scientific name: Aves Higher classification: Tetrapod Rank: Class Lower classifications: Falconiformes, Owl, Bucerotiformes, Upupiformes, More...    Birds are warm-blooded vertebrate animals that have wings, feathers, a beak, no teeth a skeleton in which many bones are fused together or are absent, and an extremely efficient,, one-way breathing system. Flying birds have strong, hollow bones and powerful flight muscles.   Most birds can fly. Birds have a very strong heart and an efficient way of breathing - these are necessary for birds to fly. Birds also use a lot of energy while flying and need to eat a lot of food to power their flight. Not all flying animals are birds; and not all birds can fly. The ability to fly has developed independently many times throughout the history of the Earth. Bats (flying mammals), pterosaurs (flying reptiles from the time of the dinosaurs), and flying insects are not birds.  Modern birds are characterised by feathers, a beak with no teeth, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a lightweight but strong skeleton. All living species of birds have wings—the now extinct flightless moa of New Zealand were the only exception. Wings are evolved forelimbs, and most bird species can fly. Flightless birds include ratites, penguins, and a number of diverse endemic island species. Birds also have unique digestive and respiratory systems that are highly adapted for flight. Some birds, especially corvids and parrots, are among the most intelligent animal species; a number of bird species have been observed manufacturing and using tools, and many social species exhibit cultural transmission of knowledge across generations.   Many species are of economic importance, mostly as sources of food acquired through hunting or farming. Some species, particularly songbirds and parrots, are popular as pets. Other uses include the harvesting of guano (droppings) for use as a fertiliser. Birds figure prominently in all aspects of human culture from religion to poetry to popular music. About 120–130 species have become extinct as a result of human activity since the 17th century, and hundreds more before then. Currently about 1,200 species of birds are threatened with extinction by human activities, though efforts are underway to protect them.   Birds can often safely perch on a power line without being electrocuted. For the bird (or other animal) to be electrocuted, a potential difference must exist across two points of the bird's body (its feet in the case of a bird on a power line). When perching on a single power line, there is no potential difference between the bird's feet, so it is safe. If the bird (or other animal) touches two power lines at a time, or one power line and a ground (like a ground wire or the earth itself), the animal would be electrocuted and die. Many large birds (like eagles and vultures) are electrocuted when their wide wings touch a power line and a ground wire at the same time (often while flying in to land on a power line). Amazon birds    More than 1500 bird species are found in the Amazon Basin, while South America as a whole is home to roughly one-third the world's birds. Many birds found in the Amazon are northern or southern migrants, wintering in or passing though the rainforest at certain times of the year. Macaws are famous for gathering by the hundreds, even thousands, along the clay cliffs of the Amazon river where they feed on minerals which help the birds process toxins found in the seeds they eat. The world's rarest bird is Spix's macaw, a beautiful bird with a dark blue head, a blue body, and a greenish belly with a black mask and bright yellow eye. It has always been rare, limited to palm groves and river edges in small area near the center of Brazil, but recent deforestation, importation of Africaniz ed bees-which took their tree hollows, and over collection for the hobbyists caused this species' demise.

Desert ecosystem

Desert Ecosystem


              Though a desert may seem like a barren land devoid of lifeforms, life does exist in this harsh environment. Numerous plants and animal species have adapted to these seemingly unsuitable conditions. In the desert ecosystem, climate is a deciding factor for the existence of lifeforms. In deserts, temperatures can reach up to 115° F during the day, and come down to 32° F at night. Such extreme temperature makes it difficult for lifeforms to survive in the deserts, unless they adapt to this harsh climate. Surprisingly though, many plants and animals have adapted themselves over the years, and have become an important part of the desert ecosystem today.

Definition: Desert Ecosystem
 
                In geographical studies, deserts are defined as regions wherein the average annual precipitation seldom exceeds more than 10 inches per year, and the amount of water lost to evapotranspiration is much more than the amount of water gained by precipitation. Like hot deserts, such as the Sahara and Mojave, there are cold deserts as well, the best example being Antarctica. One of the prominent difference between the two is the form of precipitation, which is snowfall in cold deserts and rainfall in hot deserts. Irrespective of whether it is a hot or a cold desert, the characteristic traits of both almost remain the same. It may comes as a surprise, but the areas which we refer to as hot deserts have a chilling temperature at night.

Desert Ecosystem: Animals
 
              Not many of us are aware of the fact that deserts are home to a number of species of kingdom Animalia. Biodiversity of the deserts is as unique as other biomes of the world. You might not see these animals as you see zebras and wildebeests in Africa, but they do exist and each of these species play a crucial role in the desert ecosystem food chain. Like in most of the other ecosystems, plants are the primary producers, while rodents, insects and reptiles which feed on these plants are the primary consumers. Then come the secondary consumers, who mainly comprise larger reptiles and insects which feed on primary consumers. At the top of the desert food chain are the apex predators in the form of birds and mammals. Most prominent members of the desert animals list include the Gila monster, chuckawallas, desert tortoise, rattlesnakes, hawks, ostriches, bobcat, kangaroo rats, mountain lions, etc. Most of these desert animals are nocturnal, i.e. active during the night, and spend the entire day burrowing. This adaptation helps them to fight the soaring temperatures that persist during the day. Water being scarce in deserts, these animals have also modified themselves to make the most of the available water. Some animals absorb water from plants, while others store it in their fatty tissues. Read more on adaptations in desert animals.

Desert Ecosystem: Plants
 

              When we talk about desert vegetation, most of us only think about cactus. However, we fail to understand that within cactus, there are different types which grow in different deserts of the world. These plants have have modified themselves to sustain in the desert environment. Some plants store water in the specialized tissues, while others have small leaves with hair like structures which reduce the evaporation of moisture. In North American deserts, barrel cactus is the most abundantly found cacti species, while other species include crimson hedgehog cactus, pancake prickly pear cactus, saguaro cactus, etc. Other cactus plants such as brittle bush, saltbush, creosote bush, desert ironwood, gravillias, Joshua tree, Mojave aster, Soaptree yucca, hanging chain cholla, etc., are also quite common in deserts. Read more on desert plant life.

Our ecosystem