Chordate Zoology - Textbook - Y. V. Tsaryk - 2013

Chapter 5. SUPERCLASS TETRAPODS (TERRESTRIAL VERTEBRATES) TETRAPODA, seu QUADRIPEDA.

ANAMNIANS (ANAMNIA) AND AMNIOTES (AMNIOTA)

5.3. CLASS BIRDS AVES

5.3.3. Systematics and characteristics of representatives of the main orders of the class Aves

5.3.3.2. Superorder Typical, or Neognathous Birds Neognathae

5.3.3.2.10. Order Ciconiiformes

Birds varying in size (weight from 100 g to 6 kg) with long bills, long necks, and long legs, inhabiting the shores of Water bodies and wetlands. About 120 (117) species. Plumage is sparse. Flight is slow. In flight, extended legs project far beyond the tail. Distributed almost everywhere except for high latitudes. They feed on diverse animal food. Monogamous. They nest in colonies often comprising several species, occasionally in solitary pairs. The carelessly built nests are located in reed beds, or in the branching of tree and shrub branches. The clutch contains 2-8 eggs. Chicks hatch naked with barely open eyes, or sighted and downy. They remain in or near the nest until they fledge. Both parents feed the nestlings. Outside the breeding season, they stay in small flocks, while some species are solitary.

Family Herons Ardeidae comprises about 60 species. They vary greatly in size (weight ranging from 100 g to 3-4 kg), yet are similar in appearance: a conical bill with sharp edges, a long flexible neck, and a hind toe almost equal in length to the front ones. They inhabit water margins and wetlands. They stalk prey while standing in shallow water and capture it with a lightning-fast movement of the HEAD.

Family Storks Ciconiidae differ from herons by larger sizes (up to 5-6 kg), a stout bill, a less flexible neck, and a shortened hind toe. They nest in solitary pairs. They search for food by slowly pacing across forest clearings, meadows, and river banks. The White Stork Ciconia ciconia nests in villages and even in cities.

Family Ibises Threskiornithidae (weight 0.5-2.0 kg) possess a long, slender bill that is either decurved or flattened with a spoon-shaped expansion at the tip. Using such bills, they catch some of their prey in mud or soil. They forage in shallow water and nest in colonies.