ArticleslgStudy

science

Water bird

Water bird is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Water bird rather than just read about it. In short: A water bird, alternatively waterbird or aquatic bird, is a bird that lives on or around water. In some definitions, the term water bird is especially applied to birds in freshwater ecosystems, although others make no distinction from seabirds that inhabit marine environments.

Water bird — main illustration
Water bird — illustration

Key takeaways

  • Water bird belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
  • Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
  • Connect Water bird to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
  • Reproduce the core statement of Water bird from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

A water bird, alternatively waterbird or aquatic bird, is a bird that lives on or around water. In some definitions, the term water bird is especially applied to birds in freshwater ecosystems, although others make no distinction from seabirds that inhabit marine environments. Some water birds (e.g. wading birds) are more terrestrial while others (e.g. waterfowls) are more aquatic, and their adaptations will vary depending on their environment. These adaptations include webbed feet, beaks, and legs adapted to feed in the water, and the ability to dive from the surface or the air to catch prey in water. The term aquatic bird is sometimes also used in this context. A related term that has a narrower meaning is waterfowl. Some piscivorous birds of prey, such as ospreys, sea eagles, fish eagles, fish owls, and fishing owls, hunt aquatic prey but do not stay in water for long and live predominantly over dry land, and are not considered water birds. The term waterbird is also used in the context of conservation to refer to any birds that inhabit or depend on bodies of water or wetland areas. Examples of this use include the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) and the Wallnau Waterbird Reserve.

Types Some examples of water birds are:

Seabirds (marine birds) Penguins (order Sphenisciformes) Tropicbirds (order Phaethontiformes) Albatrosses and petrels (order Procellariiformes) Pelicans (family Pelecanidae within order Pelecaniformes) Gannets, boobies, cormorants, and frigatebirds (families Sulidae, Phalacrocoracidae, and Fregatidae within order Suliformes) Gulls, terns, skimmers, skuas, auks, and phalaropes (families Laridae, Stercorariidae, and Alcidae, plus genus Phalaropus, within order Charadriiformes) Herons, egrets, bitterns, ibises, spoonbills, shoebills, and hamerkops (the rest of order Pelecaniformes) Darters and anhingas (the rest of order Suliformes) Shorebirds and waders (the rest of order Charadriiformes) Ducks, geese, swans, magpie geese, and screamers (order Anseriformes) Grebes (order Podicipediformes) Loons (order Gaviiformes) Storks (order Ciconiiformes) Flamingos (order Phoenicopteriformes) Cranes, rails, crakes, coots, moorhens, finfoots and limpkins (families Gruidae, Rallidae, Heliornithidae, and Aramidae within order Gruiformes) Kingfishers (subfamilies Alcedininae and Cerylinae of family Alcedinidae within order Coraciiformes) Dippers (family Cinclidae within order Passeriformes) Sunbitterns (family Eurypygidae within order Eurypygiformes)

Evolution

The evolution of waterbirds is often mainly centered around adaptations to improve feeding techniques. This includes legs that are adapted to diving or wading and webbing between the toes. Many of these adaptations are common between different types of waterbirds. For example, flamingos and ducks share a similar filter-feeding lifestyle, and the shoebill has a similar structure (morphology) to many wading birds. DNA sequence analysis, specifically the mitochondrial gene sequencing, has been used to classify and differentiate the various aquatic birds. This classification is found by a relative apparent synapomorphy analysis (RASA) which highlighted certain branches of genes that classified the domestic duck and fowl, for example, as an outgroup. Comparing and understanding these gene patterns allows scientists to classify aquatic birds.

Conservation

Waterbird conservation efforts in the United States are advanced by numerous organizations, including the 700,000 member strong Ducks Unlimited. Employing such methods as conservation easements and outright purchase, it uses federal and state habitat reimbursements, sponsorships, member fees, major gifts, donations, royalties, and advertisement to raise over $200 million a year. A minimum of 80 percent of that revenue goes directly toward habitat conservation. Ducks Unlimited partners with a wide range of corporations, governments, other non-governmental organizations, landowners, and private citizens to restore and manage areas that have been degraded and to prevent further degradation of existing wetlands. DU is also active in working with others to recommend government policies that will influence wetlands and the environment. Through March 2021, Ducks Unlimited had conserved at least 15 million acres of waterfowl habitat in North America. To promote the conservation of waterbirds in America, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service established the Waterbird Conservation for the Americas to facilitate this over such a large area. The purpose of this initiative is to promote international cooperation and partnership to preserve waterbird habitats, create long term sustainability plans, implement specific conservation plans for regions, and support legal action for waterbird conservation on the regional and national levels. A 2018 global study analyzing population trends of 461 waterbird species across multiple continents found that ineffective governance strongly predicts population declines, especially in regions like Central Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and South America. The study emphasized that effective governance is a critical factor for successful waterbird conservation.

Extinction

The loss of wetlands has impacted waterbirds and is driving their extinction in regions where wetlands are polluted. Specifically, in China, 33% of wetlands were lost between 1978 and 2008, which is the primary breeding ground for China's waterbird species such as the Baer's pochard, which is now at risk for extinction. The Baer's pochard's population has decreased to between 150 and 700 birds in recent years due to negative environmental impacts on their habitat as well as human activities such as hunting and fishing. This loss of wetlands is a result of various sources in China. The rise of urbanization and industries has resulted in pollution and waste in the water. In addition, reclamation projects for construction further threaten ruining the habitats of these birds. For example, the largest of these reclamation projects is the Oufei Project, which spans 8854 hectares.

Interspecific competition

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Water bird: Geese and ducks are just two types of water birds, which include seabirds, shorebirds, waterfowl, and numerous other forms of birds.
Geese and ducks are just two types of water birds, which include seabirds, shorebirds, waterfowl, and numerous other forms of birds.
Water bird: A yellow-billed loon, a diving bird in the order Gaviiformes, swimming on a lake in the northern area of Alaska, United States
A yellow-billed loon, a diving bird in the order Gaviiformes, swimming on a lake in the northern area of Alaska, United States
Water bird: The Brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) has an enlarged throat pouch to aid it in feeding on schools of small fish. It is a member of the order Pelecaniformes, which also contains the herons, bitterns, and ibises
The Brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) has an enlarged throat pouch to aid it in feeding on schools of small fish. It is a member of the order Pelecaniformes, which also contains the herons, bitterns, and ibises
Water bird: Pacific black ducks, one of the dabbling ducks, feeding in a wetland
Pacific black ducks, one of the dabbling ducks, feeding in a wetland
Water bird: The Common goldeneye, a diving duck, lives on fish
The Common goldeneye, a diving duck, lives on fish

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Water bird

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Water bird claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Water bird before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Water bird ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Water bird

In research
Water bird appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry
Engineering practice reuses Water bird in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom
Water bird is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Aquatic birds, Birds by common name, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life
Look for Water bird outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study Water bird in 20 minutes

  1. Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
  2. Close the page and write down what Water bird means in your own words.
  3. Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
  4. Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
  5. Explain Water bird out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Water bird in simple terms?

A water bird, alternatively waterbird or aquatic bird, is a bird that lives on or around water. In some definitions, the term water bird is especially applied to birds in freshwater ecosystems, although others make no distinction from seabirds that inhabit marine environments.

Why does Water bird matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Water bird?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Water bird.

Tags

  • Aquatic birds
  • Birds by common name

Keep exploring