Birds are the most numerous class of terrestrialvertebrates, of which there are about 10,000 species. It is believed that they originated from the ancient flying reptiles. The copepods are representatives of the order Pelicanifiers. These large waterfowl with webbed feet live near water bodies and feed on fish. This order includes about 70 species, it includes 6 families:
The darters, also called snake birds,are the only genus of the serpent race. Currently, there are only 4 species: American, African, Australian, Indian snake. The kind of Indian serpent, by the way, is on the verge of extinction, due to human activity and habitat destruction.
Anhinga has a body length of about 80-90centimeters, their weight can be up to 1.5 kilograms. The darter-neck has a very high and flexible neck, which looks like a curving snake, long, with serrations on the edges of the beak. The birds have dark plumage, the males are painted brighter. Birds live in tropical and subtropical zones near freshwater bodies of water. The main food for birds is fish. Anhinga live in pairs, breeding may be seasonal and year-round - depending on the habitat. In laying 2-6 eggs, incubation usually lasts about 25-30 days. The life span of birds is about 9 years.
The frigate belongs to the family of marinepelican-like. The bird is large: its body length is 80-104 centimeters in length. It has wide wings (up to 2 meters), a large head, a long hooked nose, and small legs. The plumage of adults is mostly black with a metallic sheen, females of some species are white. Young frigates have brown plumage and white head.
Nesting sites for copepodsthey are chosen on islands near the sea, they usually settle in colonies, often coexist with other species of seabirds. Nests are placed on low trees, in the bushes and just on the rocks. Frigates lay one egg, both parents incubate the chick. Incubation lasts 40-50 days.
These birds are called sea pirates, because theytake away prey from other birds, hunt other chicks. Themselves are free to fish, squid from the surface of the water, on the fly. These copepods can only float or fly, they have weak legs, so they cannot swim, dive, or walk on dry land. The types of frigate include:
Pelicans can be called the largestrepresentatives of the order 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, large flat wide beak. At its bottom is a leather bag for fishing, which has the ability to strongly stretch. The top of the beak looks like a cap. Birds have a bulky, awkward body, low strong legs. The plumage is white, gray, maybe with a pink tint.
Pelicans inhabit all continents exceptAntarctica. They live on the shoal of the sea, near small lakes (fresh and salt), in the mouths of large rivers. Birds feed on fish that are caught with a beak 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, and small ones on a tree. In broods usually no more than 2-3 chicks.
Phaetons - ocean birds.They differ in medium size, white and black color, in which there may be a pink or lemon shade. 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 prey, birds fly up to the water, catch fish, squid, and often fly fish. The birds are monogamous, the places for nesting choose on the solitary islands 3 oceans, in subtropical and tropical regions, on high rocks. These birds do not build nests, but lay eggs on stones. In laying one egg, incubation lasts 41-45 days. The family has one genus with three species:
Cormorants belong to the family of the group of copepods.the birds. You can divide them into two kinds. 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:
Usually these birds have black plumage, howeversome species may have a white belly. Cormorants live sedentary in countries with a hot climate, and in cold and temperate latitudes - migratory. Habitat - the sea, lakes and large rivers. Birds can swim and dive well. The main part of their diet is fish. Cormorants nest in colonies, arrange nests in trees, rocks, flat banks.
Olushi - sea birds.The length of their body is 64-100 centimeters, weight is up to 3.6 kilograms. The plumage is white, brown and black. Birds fly well, diving for prey from a height of 15-30 meters. Their diet is the fish of the herring family.
Fawns nest in colonies on islands nearcontinents except Antarctica and the North Pacific. In laying usually 2-3 eggs. One of the most clumsy copepods is blue-footed booby. However, they are the most agile pilots in the air!
