Birds and Reptiles By: Chris, Jazmyn, Trevor, Connor

Shore Birds: Also known as Waders Feed on abundance of marine life in the intertidal zone Size varies from as small as a sparrow to larger than a chicken Group includes oyster catchers, tattlers, curlews, godwits, turnstones, sandpipers, jacanas, surfbird, phalaropes and inland species such as woodcocks

Gulls: Best known seabirds because they are mostly found along the shores and seaports. Herring gulls are the most common to people. They are vocal gray and white. They are found where land and ocean meet, including the polar regions. Commonly found in North America and Europe. Gulls always travel in large groups. They have webbed feet & oil glands to waterproof their feathers. Gulls have big appetites and are selective eaters. Noisy and aggressive & are predators and scavengers. Known to pick up clams in shallow water and drop the over rocks repeatedly until the shell breaks. Female lays two or three eggs and they hatch in three or four weeks. Newly hatched chicks remain in the nest until they are almost fully grown. Other gulls will also feed on the young hatchlings. It is not uncommon for only one out of every five to survive the eight weeks after hatching.

Pelicans: Can be found in inland waters. Pelicans prefer warm latitude estuary, coastal and inland waters. Have to fly some distance from their nesting site to find food After breeding they migrate or disperse. Their numbers have decreased in Europe, Africa, and Asia because they depend on inland waters, which have been drained or polluted. Pelicans feed mainly on fish but can eat turtles, tadpoles, and crustaceans. Nesting is usually in trees near the water. Pelicans are social birds, and live in colonies with hundreds of birds. They live up to 30 years in the wild. Pelican bills can sense other creatures under the water.

Oystercatchers: Plovers/Turnstones: Sandpipers/Curlews: Have long, blunt orange bills that are vertically flattened Used to pry and open clams and mussels Plovers/Turnstones: Short plump bodies, bill resembles a pigeon, shorter than most waders Found on beaches, mudflats, grassy fields Sandpipers/Curlews: Relatives of plovers and oystercatchers Feed on small crustaceans and mollusks Make annual migration

Avocets/Stilts: Herons: Terns: Long legs, elongated necks, slender, graceful bodies Feed in shallow water Herons: Most widespread family of waders Terns: Brightly colored and delicately sculpted bills Nest In large colonies

Penguins Aquatic, flightless birds with flippers instead of wings Spend about half of their lives on land, half in water Good eyesight for deep water hunting Propel themselves out of the water to escape predators Lay only one egg per year Parents take turns watching children while the other gathers food from the ocean 95% of young don’t last one year of life on their own Only Adelie and Emperor penguins live in Antarctica Tubenoses 4 Classes: Albatross, Storm Petrel, Diving Petrel, Petrels/Shearwaters Pelagic feeders- feed only in open ocean Nest on remote, predator-free islands

Marine Reptiles: Common characteristics- Ectothermic Lay or retained shelled eggs Scales of keratin Respire with lungs Types of marine reptiles: Crocodilids (crocodiles) Iguanids (Iguanas) Hydrophids (Sea Snakes) Chelonids (Sea Turtles)

Marine Reptiles: Feeding & Nutrition: Fish, fish eggs, eels, seaweed, jellyfish Reproduction- The evolution of an amniotic egg allowed reptiles to completely sever all ties with their aquatic environment, giving them a great reproductive advantage. Niche/Habitat: The array is vast for marine reptiles it includes Open Ocean, bays, estuaries, continental shelf, shallow and soft bottom sea beds.