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General Information- Birds
Class Aves

Northern Cardinal
Northern Cardinal
Cardinalis cardinalis
Livingston County

General
     People have been interested in birds as long as there were people.  They are intrigued by their feathers, their colors, and their ability to fly.  Birds are the most successful group of vertebrates on the planet.  There are over 10,000 species worldwide with nearly (over?) 400 species recorded in New York State alone.  Birds have been studied as food, as models for flight, and as objects of curiosity.  They are important parts of the ecosystem, dispersing seeds, providing food for other animals, and as predators.  At hawkwatch points throughout the country (such as Braddock Bay and Derby Hill in New York) there are records of the numbers of hawks that goes back for decades.  This data is used to measure the overall health of the ecosystem.  Larger numbers of hawks meaning a healthier ecosystem.

Flight, Migration, and Neotropical Migrants
    One of humans biggest fascinations with birds is their ability to fly.  What child hasn't, at one time or another, flapped his arms and jumped trying to fly like the birds do?  There are several adaptations birds have that allow them to fly.  The first and most obvious of these is feathers.  Feathers are nothing more than modified scales, a testement to birds' relationship to reptiles.  Flight feathers are the most important type of feather for flight.  Each flight feather (also known as contour feather) is made up of a thick shaft off of which come many small barbules with many hooklike barbs.  The barbs stick together keeping the feather stiff.  Contour feathers must be stiff to provide the proper resistance for flight.  Similar feathers overlap and push against each other during a bird's downstroke to create the largest amount of drag.  During the upstroke the feathers separate and allow air to pass through preparing for the next downstroke.  Examples of contour feathers are the primaries and secondaries on the wing.  Other feathers on a bird not associated with flight are down feathers or semi-plumes.  These have a similar structure except the barbules do not stick together and are typically less rigid than those on contour feathers, giving down its fluffy and soft nature.

Turkey Vultures in Flight
   The next adaptation birds have for flight is a modified skeleton that produces wings.  The parts of a bird's wing are similar to our arms, except they are in a much different arrangement.  Many of the bones are fused, especially those in the "hand" and because of this birds lose much dexterity.  They make up for this in motility.  Another bone structure that is essential for flight is the large keeled sternum.  This bone is important because it provides a place for the pectoral muscles to attach allowing for more force to be exerted.  The last modification is within the bones themselves.  Bird bones are much lighter than mammal bones.  This is because they are thin walled and hollow (actually spongy.)  The sponginess of a bird's bone is to provide support because although a hollow bone is much lighter it is also weaker and more brittle.  The spongy bones make for a much lighter animal for its size.  When compared to mammals, birds of a similar size are much lighter.  Even largest of flying birds are not very heavy, all things considered.
    Because of their fliying abilities birds are more mobile than other groups of vertebrates.  Although many species are somewhat sedentary and rarely travel very far throughout their lifetime others undergo fabulous migrations from breeding areas to wintering grounds.  The Arctic Tern for example breeds in the far north above the arctic circle.  They then turn around and winter in the far south of Antarctica.  The round trip is over 26,000 miles.  New York state is in a peculiar spot in that it gets many of the far northern avifauna as wintering birds, many of the southern birds as breeding birds, and many species which are seen as migrants only.  Even many of our breeding species are most commonly seen as wintering animals or migrants.  One group of migrants is very well known as summer breeders in our state, but winter in South America.  Mostly passerines these are collectively known as neotropical migrants.  Warblers, vireos, some flycatchers, and some of the blackbirds (Orioles, Rose-breasted Grosbeak) are the most well known of the neotropical migrants.

Nesting
    Birds are not unique in laying eggs, but they do have well developed nesting habits.  Male birds typically arrive on territory before females.  They then set up territory through the use of song or territorial displays.  Females arrive at the breeding grounds and chose their mate based on the merits of the male's territory.  In many species the male or female (or both) construct elaborate nests out of mud, sticks, grass, or many other materials.  Other species, like the killdeer, simply scrape a small depression on the ground.
    The choice of nest sites depends on the species.  Woodpeckers are well known for nesting inside of tree trunks, but many other species, such as Bank Swallow, Belted Kingfisher, European Starling, and Eastern Bluebird also are cavity nesters.  Putting up nest boxes has helped many of these species find nest sites.  Other species nest on cliffs and ledges while some nest on the ground.  And of course a good number of species build nests in the branches of trees and shrubs.
    The well known neotropical migrants are facing serious population declines mostly due to the fragmentation of habitat on both their wintering and breeding grounds.  The fragmentation has allowed the Brown-headed Cowbird to invade their nesting areas.  Cowbirds are nest parasites.  A female Cowbird finds a nest lays her eggs in it and then leaves.  The warbler or other host incubates the eggs and the young cowbird invariably hatches first, growing larger and faster than the host species young until it outcompetes them for food and they die.  The host parent then feeds the Cowbird to maturity and the cycle starts again.  The reason this is a problem is that many of the neotropical migrants have no defenses against the Cowbird.  They never were faced with this problem until the great forests of the east were cut down and the Cowbird invaded from the midwest.  Populations of the warblers have plummeted because the females raise more cowbird babies than warblers.

Species
    Nearly 400 different species of birds have been recorded in New York State.  Although many of these are casual or accidental stragglers from other regions, a good number are breeding and resident species.  A large number winter in New York and breed farther north.  Others breed in New York during the summer and spend the winter farther south in the US or South America.  Some of the species on the following list are not recorded every year or are only found in certain parts of the state.  For example, many of the Alcids and Petrels are pelagic birds meaning they spend most of their time over the ocean.  A sighting of one of these birds inland is quite a rare event.
    The best way to learn the birds of the state is to buy a pair of binoculars and one of the many field guides.  National Geographic makes an excellent guide to all of the bird species in North America.  The Peterson Field Guide is also a classic.  Learn what birds you can expect to see and when.  Seeing an American Tree Sparrow in August is almost unheard of.  They are a winter bird.  Also it is unlikely to see a Baltimore Oriole in February.  (But with birds there are always exceptions to the rules.)  Also learn what habitat you are most likely to find certain species in.  Learning the songs and calls is another way to identify birds.  There are many tapes and CDs available that reference bird songs.  Outside of pattern, shape, and song one of the most important techniques for bird identification is behavior.  Hawks often soar, sparrows are shy and skulk.  Some species have peculiar habits, such as a Phoebe bobbing its tail, that immediately identify them.  No matter what just remember it's okay to say you don't know.  Even the best of us miss an ID every now and again.  Most importantly, don't forget to enjoy yourself and don't get overwhelmed.  Bird watching is supposed to be a relaxing hobby, not a race to see who gets the most birds.

Note on protective status-  Almost all birds are protected by the federal government by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA).  This international treaty includes Canada, Great Britain, Japan, and Mexico and protects from persecution all species of migratory birds.  The only North American birds not protected under this act are the Rock Dove, European Starling, and House Sparrow.  Hunting is allowed for many species under provisions in state laws.  Migratory Wildfowl Stamps must be purchased for some species.  Consult the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation for more information.

Order Gaviiformes

Order Podicipediformes Order Pelecanifomres Order Ciconiiformes Order Anseriformes Order Falconiformes Order Galliformes Order Gruiformes Order Charadriiformes Order Columbiformes Order Cuculiformes Order Strigiformes Order Caprimulgiformes Order Apodifomres Order Coraciiformes Order Piciformes Order Passeriformes

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