Verified Document

Double Crested Cormorant "Are Opportunistic, Generalist Feeders" Essay

Double Crested Cormorant "are opportunistic, generalist feeders" (Wires, Cuthbert, Dale, & Joshi, 2001). They feed on slow moving fish species that range from 3 centimeters to 40 centimeters. These birds forage in shallow water and seem to be strict diurnal in the way they eat. They are quick to respond to areas with high fish concentration and flock where the fish can easily be caught. The Double Crested Cormorant breeds in cold climatic conditions and has been living in Alaska for a long time (Wires, Cuthbert, Dale, & Joshi, 2001, p. 36). According to Siegel-Causey & Savinetskii (1991), the remains of the bird have been found on Amchitka Island dating back over 2000 years. These remains suggest that the there were plenty of the species in the central Aleutian Islands and climate changes have reduced their population in Alaska.

Great Blue Herons

Great Blue Herons are prey generalists, although they forage for fish. They catch their prey as they walk along the shores of water bodies such as oceans, lakes, marshes and...

On the mainland, the bird preys on small animals such as rodents (Butler, 1992). The mainland foraging is done in the winter when the shores are frozen and fish is unavailable, or when the young ones are learning hunting skills (Butler, 1991). The Great Blue Herons also prey on amphibians, reptiles, invertebrates and birds. They catch their prey by a quick head and neck thrusts.
Great Blue Herons breed in various regions of the world, but in North America, the Ardea Herodias occidentalis are found in the warmer regions such as Florida. "The Herodias fannini are non-migratory found in the Pacific coast from Washington States to Alaska and Herodias found between south Canada to Galapagos" (Butler, 1992). The size of the colony on all these species depend on foraging area.

Wood Stork

Wood storks are specialists. They have a specialized eating behavior known as tactolocation, they walk through the water with beaks open and immersed in the water. When they feel the preys, they snap the beaks raise them up and…

Sources used in this document:
References

Patuxent Wildlife Research Center information on Migratory Bird. (2011, July 12). Wood stork

Mycteria americana. Retrieved March 1, 2012, from www.mbrppwrc.usgs.gov: http://www.mbrppwrc.usgs.gov/bbs/bbs.html

BirdLife International. (2004). Turdus migratorius. IUCN .

Butler, R.W. (1992). Great Blue Heron. The birds of North .
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Zoology Relics of Human Evolution Vemeonasal Organ.
Words: 1111 Length: 3 Document Type: Essay

Zoology Relics of Human Evolution Vemeonasal organ. The vemeonasal organ is a little pit on each side of the septum that is lined with nonfunctioning chemoreceptors. It may have been used for pheromone-detecting ability. Extrinsic ear muscles. These three muscles most likely made it possible for prehominids to move their ears independently, in the manner of many mammals, such as rabbits and dogs. Many people can learn to wiggle their ears because of

Zoology Malaria Research Malaria Is
Words: 983 Length: 3 Document Type: Term Paper

Usually, in hotter climates that are nearer to the equator, spread will be more powerful and Malaria is spread throughout the year. The uppermost spread is initiated in Africa South of the Sahara and in fractions of Oceania such as Papua New Guinea. In less hot areas, spread will be less powerful and very cyclic. In many moderate regions, like Western Europe and the U.S. financial expansion and public

Zoology - Shark Attacks Under
Words: 1221 Length: 4 Document Type: Term Paper

In truth, large sharks tend to hunt large blubbery prey with a much higher ratio of flesh-to-bone than human beings. That is apparently why many test bites on a human result in no further attack. In the last decade, a tourist industry has evolved in parts of the world with access to coral reefs and natural shark populations. Hand-feeding excursions allow divers, lead by more experienced professionals to encounter sharks

Vertebrate Zoology - Evolution: How
Words: 2034 Length: 6 Document Type: Research Proposal

In Paleontology, however, these wing digits have been considered as digits 1, 2 and 3 based on phylogenetic assessment of the fossil lineage suggesting that birds have evolved from theropod ancestors that had lost the fourth and fifth digits. Critics of this theory have suggested that birds have evolved from some other ancestors that had lost the first and fifth digits. Studies of developing limbs of chicken, including a

Zoology and Medicine
Words: 1567 Length: 5 Document Type: Term Paper

LEECHES: Bloodsuckers, Life-And-Limb-Savers "Nothing works as well as leeches when we need to get blood out of a (body) part." Concannon). Blood clotting is a life-saving body process, but when it endangers life or prevents the resolution of a torn tissue, leeches can come in handy. They have shown their worth as natural blood thinners, painkillers and surgical scavengers with the anticoagulant and anesthetic properties of their saliva. These saliva components hold much

Artificial Lighting -- Impacts on
Words: 3253 Length: 10 Document Type: Research Paper

The authors explain that "Large-scale habitat loss and fragmentation…" that results from urban sprawl is a major cause of the lack of biodiversity within the insect species (Acharya, 1999, 27). Even the building of a new road, or street lights, in places where previously there were no roads or lights, what the authors call "undisturbed areas," has an impact on insect biodiversity, Acharya explains. Meanwhile, moths, which are known

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now