Types of Birds

Aquatic Birds

These are birds that spend most of their time over oceans or in saltwater. They get their food from animals and plants of the sea. Some birds, like pelicans, often switch between salt and freshwater habitats.

Albatrosses, penguins, pelicans, ducks, geese and swans belong to this group.

Wading Birds

Many birds have long legs and live near the coastal areas of seas or lakes.

Larger wading birds are storks or flamingos. They live in shallow water.

 

Birds of Prey

Birds of prey eat the flesh of other animals or birds, in some cases, even the bodies of dead ones.

Hawks , eagles and falcons are birds that are active during the daytime, owls are night birds. Birds of prey have hooked beaks and curved claws on their feet. They have a good sense of sight and hearing.

 

 

Running Birds

There are birds that, over thousands of years, have lost their ability of flying—like ostriches or kiwis. They are good runners and get most of their food from plants on the ground.

 

 

Perching Birds

More than half of all birds are perching birds. You can find them on all continents. They have small legs and can perch on twigs or power lines. Some of the most common perching birds are sparrows or crows.

Words

• ability =talent
• beak = the hard, pointed mouth of a bird
• claw = the sharp curved nail of an animal or a bird
• coastal = in the sea or on the land near the coast
• crow = a large shiny black bird with a loud cry
• falcon =a bird that kills and eats other animals and can be trained to hunt
• flesh = the soft part of the body of a person or an animal , between the skin and the bones
• freshwater = water that has no salt in it
• habitat = the natural home of a plant or an animal
• hawk = another word for “falcon”
• hooked = curved
• kiwi = a New Zealand bird that has very short wings and cannot fly
• owl = a bird with large eyes that hunts at night
• perch = to fly down and sit on something
• power line =a line that is above or below the ground and has electricity in it
• sparrow = a small brown bird
• switch = change
• twig = a very small branch of a tree
• wade = to walk through water that is not deep