Bird Habitats - Page 1

A habitat is an environment --- a portion of an ecosystem --- that fulfills a bird's need for food, water, and nesting. If a species habitually chooses a particular habitat --- and many do -- it is known as a habitat specialist. Even widespread species may be extremely narrow in their choice of habitat. For example, the Killdeer is common through most of North America, but within the varied ecosystems of the species' range it specializes in one habitat; open areas with patches of bare ground. The Killdeer particularly favors habitats close to bodies of water. The widespread Blue Jays, in contrast, always require groves of trees.