B i rds & Fore s t s

Transcription

1 W I L D L I F E B i rds & Fore s t s A look at how birds and forests live and thrive together AMERICAN ROBIN EDUC ATIONAL IN NATURE

2 FROM A NEST WITH A VIEW TO A PLACE BY THE WATER Birds, like people, have different ideas on where to live. Some birds like a forested home, others prefer wide, open spaces and others live by water oceans, lakes, streams or marshes. Some birds actually have two homes, flying south for the winter months only to return in the spring. Birds who live in forests, do not always like the same types of forests. The endangered RED-COCKADED WOODPECKER, lives in park-like forests with larger trees and very little understory. This helps protect their eggs from predators like flying squirrels, black snakes and other woodpeckers. OSPREYS and other birds of prey, often FEMALE WOOD DUCK EMERGING FROM NEST C AV I T Y. make their nests out in the open, using dead or live trees that rise high above the land or water. They have also been known to use man-made structures such as telephone poles. This gives them a good view of the small animals or fish which they hunt. Predator and scavenger birds are often found in areas where trees have been cut, especially if a few trees are still standing on the site. Some birds, like the AMERICAN ROBIN (on the front cover), have adjusted well to city life and are commonly found in parks and neighborhoods. Many people think birds always live in trees, but there are many birds that thrive in treeless areas like grassland prairies and beaches. O S P R E Y S Bird Close-ups Beaks vary in size and shape depending on what birds eat. Some beaks crack nuts well; some crush seeds; some pick insects from plants. Birds of prey have heavy, powerful curved beaks that allow them to tear meat from bones. A SPARROW S BEAK IS C O M PACT AND STRONG FOR CRACKING SEEDS A WARBLER S BEAK IS SHARP AND POINTED FOR PICKING INSECTS FROM PLANTS A WOODPECKER S BEAK IS STRONG AND LONG FOR CHISELING HOLES IN TREES A HAWK S BEAK IS HEAVY AND C U RVED FOR TEARING MEAT FROM BONES Feet of birds of the forest differ according to whether they are climbers or perchers, or need talons to catch large prey. This makes it possible for birds to feed and live in different levels of the forest so that they do not all compete for the same territory. BIRDS OF PREY HAV E FEET WITH SHARP TALONS FOR CAPTUR- ING THEIR FOOD CLIMBERS LIKE WOOD- PECKERS HAVE CLAW S FOR GRIPPING THE SIDES OF TREES PERCHING BIRDS HAV E LONG TOES FOR HOLD- ING TIGHTLY TO SMALL B R A N C H E S MALE WOOD DUCK

3 Birds & Forests Birds and forests enjoy a special relationship. Forests provide birds with food, nest sites and protection. Birds, in turn, help the forest by scattering seeds and eating insects that may harm trees. Forest trees are especially valuable to birds because they provide nest sites high enough above the forest floor that most ground-dwelling predators cannot reach them. Different birds live and seek food in different layers of the forest primarily according to the food supply fruits, seeds, insects and worms. Some birds stay mostly overhead in the tall treetop canopy seeking food and prime nest sites. Some thrive in the understory of smaller trees, while others make their homes on the forest floor. Even though well hidden, birds of the forest floor do not survive as well as birds in K I N G F I S H E R the treetops. Y E L L O W- T H R O ATED WA R B L E R F L I C K E R Forest Floor BIRDS, FORESTS & WAT E R KINGFISHERS perch on branches over forest streams to survey the water and its contents. When they spot a fish or crayfish, they fly over and dive bomb their prey. WOOD DUCKS nest in tree cavities near water. The young ducklings jump from their tree home to begin their lives as swimmers that feed on aquatic vegetation. In this Georgia-Pacific hardwood forest in Wyoming County, West Virginia, you can see the forest layers.

4 Canopy BIRDS OF THE CANOPY Songbirds of the canopy, hidden in the thick tree tops, are difficult to see and are often not well known. Many, such as the YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER, build nests and forage for insects high in the trees. They creep along branches, picking insects from leaves and bark. Warblers are colorful birds with small, sharp bills that are effective for reaching hidden insect eggs and larvae. A thick leafy canopy provides height and protection for the open nests of canopy birds. Understory W H I P P O O RW I L L WHITE-BREASTED NUTHAT C H CLIMBERS AND C AVITY NESTERS WOODPECKERS AND FLICKERS live just below the canopy. They are climbers and cavity nesters. They climb up tree trunks searching for insects in the crevices of tree bark. Sometimes they can be seen hiding nuts and insects in crevices for later use. NUTHATCHES AND CHICK ADEES are also climbers and cavity nesters. The nuthatch often works its way down a tree trunk head first. The acrobatic chickadee can hang up-sidedown on the underside of a branch. Cavity nesters find protection when they disappear inside a hollow tree to lay their eggs and raise their young. THE FOREST FLOOR Camouflaged by their spotted gray-brown feathers, WHIPPOORWILLS and other nightjars nest and feed in the dry leafy ground material hidden by low growing shrubs. Many forest floor dwellers have heavy bodies. For example, WILD TURKEYS spend most of their lives on the ground, but they fly with thunderous wing beats to escape predators when necessary. The forest floor provides fallen nuts, seeds, insects and worms for birds to feed on. It also offers shelter and camouflage. WILD TURKEY

5 MALE CARDINAL TREES WAVE RED FLAGS Fall fruiting trees and shrubs in North American forests seem to signal migrating birds while flying south. Birds are especially attracted to red and purple and may cluster in large flocks to feast on colorful fruit. Seeds inside the fruit pass rapidly through the birds digestive system and are scattered about as the birds go on their way, helping the forest to spread. K- BLUE JAY NEST BLUE JAY BLUE JAYS take advantage of fallen nuts. They eat acorns, and they bury some for winter storage. New oaks grow from acorns the birds forget. HUNTERS OF THE NIGHT SCREECH OWLS are the source of many of the forest s unusual night sounds. Their call may sound like a horse whinny or a trembling whistle. At other times it is a long single trill. They are fun to listen to. Screech owls have adapted well to woodsy suburban backyards. They are predators, snatching moths in spring from under street lights to feed their young. They also eat frogs, mice, grasshoppers, crickets and smaller birds. They naturally nest in tree cavities and will often come to nest boxes put in trees. Birds featured here are commonly found in Georgia-Pacific and other North American forests. SCREECH OWL

6 B i rds & F o re s t s W I L D L I F E A C T I V I T I E S & E x t r a s Homemaker s Helper Helping a bird build a nest can be fun and rewarding. All you need to help supply birds with building materials is a plastic strawberry basket and some twine. Simply weave the twine through the sides of a clean basket and tie it to a tree. Next, fill the basket with birds favorite building materials and watch them begin to work. Bird nest building materials should include: yarn, thin strips of woven fabric, moss, pulled-apart cotton balls, pine needles and grass. WORDS TO KNOW canopy- the uppermost spreading, branchy layer of a forest cavity nesters- birds that build their nests in hollowed-out, protected spaces such as tree trunks habitat - the place or type of site where a plant or animal naturally and normally lives and grows nightjar- a medium-sized night bird with a short, wide bill, short legs and short feathers. The whippoorwill is a nightjar carnivores- meat-eaters understory - smaller trees and shrubs that grow underneath the forest canopy predators or birds of prey- an animal that preys on others VEGETARIAN OR MEAT-EATER? ll birds do not eat the same things. Some eat A l insects and meat, while others eat vegetables and plants. It s fun to see what different birds eat. Attach five or six shallow dishes to a board. Fill each dish with a different food birds like to eat. Use cracked corn, worms, bird seed, fat, cheese or any other food you prefer. Change the food from time to time and record what birds eat what foods. Before long you can feed your favorite birds and watch them whenever you wish Georgia-Pacific Corporation. All rights reserved. ED UCATIONAL IN N ATURE Learning supplements for environmental education. Volume 2, Wildlife Number 1, Birds & Forests EIN-2 7/99