Birds are the most numerous class of terrestrial vertebrates, of which there are about 10,000 species. It is believed that they originated from ancient flying reptiles. Copepods are members of the Pelican order. These large, webbed-footed water birds live near bodies of water and feed on fish. This order includes about 70 species, it includes 6 families:
- snake neck;
- frigate;
- pelican;
- phaeton;
- cormorants;
- Bannet.
Snakeneck
Snakebirds, also called serpentine birds, are the only genus of the darter family. Currently, there are only 4 species: American, African, Australian, Indian darter. The species Indian Darter, by the way, is on the verge of extinction due to human activities and habitat destruction.
Snake has a body length of about 80-90 centimeters, their weight can be up to 1.5 kilograms. The darter has a very high and flexible neck, which looks like a curving snake, a long beak with serrated edges. Plumagebirds are dark, males are brighter. Birds live in tropical and subtropical zones near freshwater reservoirs. The main food for birds is fish. Darter live in pairs, breeding offspring can be seasonal and year-round - depending on the habitat. Clutch of 2-6 eggs, incubation usually lasts about 25-30 days. The life span of birds is about 9 years.
Frigate
The frigate belongs to the family of marine pelicans. The bird is large: its body length is 80-104 centimeters in length. She has wide wings (up to 2 meters in span), a large head, a long hooked nose, and small paws. The plumage of adults is mostly black with a metallic sheen, females of some species are white. Young frigatebirds have brown plumage and a white head.
Copepod seabirds choose nesting places on islands near the sea, usually settle in colonies, often coexist with other seabird species. Nests are placed on low trees, in bushes and just on rocks. Frigatebirds lay one egg, both parents incubate the chick. Incubation lasts 40-50 days.
These birds are called sea pirates, because they take prey from other birds, hunt other people's chicks. They themselves freely catch fish, squid from the surface of the water, on the fly. These copepods can only hover or fly, they have weak legs, so they cannot swim, dive, or walk on land. Frigate species include:
- Big frigate;
- Magnificent frigate;
- Voznesensky frigate;
- Christmas frigate;
- frigate Ariel.
Pelicans
Pelicans can be called the largest representatives of the detachment of copepods. In Russia, they are inhabited by 2 species: pink and curly pelicans, and in total there are 8 species in the world. The weight of birds varies from 7 to 14 kilograms, body length - up to 180 centimeters.
These birds have a short tail, not very big head, long neck, big flat wide beak. On its bottom is a leather bag for catching fish, which has the ability to greatly stretch. The top of the beak is like a lid. Birds have a bulky clumsy body, low strong legs. The plumage is white, gray, maybe with a pink tint.
Pelicans inhabit all continents except Antarctica. They live in shallow sea waters, near small lakes (fresh and s alty), at the mouths of large rivers. Birds feed on fish, which they take with their beaks from the surface of the water. Individuals nest in colonies, it happens that several pairs of birds build one common nest. Large pelicans build nests on the ground, while small ones build nests in a tree. There are usually no more than 2-3 chicks in a brood.
Phaeton
Phaetons are oceanic birds. They are medium in size, white and black in color, which may have a pink or lemon tint. The shape of the tail is wedge-shaped, the middle tail feathers are very long, the legs are weak, short.
Phaetons cannot be on the ground. For bird preyfly up to the water, catch fish, squid, often catch flying fish. Birds are monogamous, nesting sites are chosen on secluded islands of 3 oceans, in subtropical and tropical regions, on high cliffs. These birds do not build nests, but lay their eggs on rocks. There is one egg in the clutch, incubation lasts 41-45 days. The family has one genus with three species:
- Red-tailed Phaeton;
- Yellow-billed phaeton;
- Red-billed phaeton.
Cormorant
Cormorants belong to the family of the detachment of copepods. They can be divided into two types. The first includes 29 species, it is distributed throughout the world. Its main difference is that these birds fly. Representatives of another genus do not fly, they live in the Galapagos Islands.
Among the characteristics of cormorants are the following:
- body length reaches 1 meter;
- neck is long;
- the beak has a hook;
- tail is very long, hard.
These birds usually have black plumage, but some species may have a white belly. Cormorants lead a sedentary lifestyle in countries with a hot climate, and migratory in cold and temperate latitudes. Habitat - seas, lakes and large rivers. Birds can swim and dive well. The main part of their diet is fish. Cormorants nest in colonies, arrange nests on trees, rocks, flat shores.
Gannets
Gannets are seabirds. Their body length is 64-100 centimeters, weight - up to 3.6 kilograms. Plumage happenswhite, brown and black. Birds fly well, diving for prey from a height of 15-30 meters. Their diet consists of fish of the herring family.
Gannets nest in colonies on islands near the mainland, except for Antarctica and the North Pacific. The clutch usually contains 2-3 eggs. One of the most clumsy copepods is the blue-footed booby. However, in the air they are the most dexterous fliers!
