Nature # 41 or little about waterfowl. My walk, observations and photos :)

Hello friends!

Today we decided to take a walk and feed the birds in a pond, that not far from our house. We always take old bread with us to feed any birds, but mostly these birds are geese and ducks.

Unfortunately, today we have not seen swans, probably they have not yet been released from the winter houses in which they live in the winter. I really love swans! I believe that the swan is the most beautiful waterfowl from all existing.

I took a few pictures and want to share these photos with you.
And, since today I photographed only waterfowl birds, I want to tell a little about them to you.

Waterfowl is not a scientific term, but rather an amateur one. According to it, the birds are united by a common name, proceeding from the common way of life of them. This is the same if we combine the common term "marine animals" of whales, jellyfish and fish.

Waterfowl are birds that can stay on the water surface. Thus, not all birds that lead the aquatic life and feed in water bodies are waterfowl. Bright evidence of this - cranes and storks. They find their food primarily in shallow water - in swamps or in the coastal strip of lakes. They do not need to master the art of staying on the water, as they grasp the food with a long beak. Therefore, they do not have the features of the structure of the foot, characteristic of waterfowl - the membrane between the fingers, which play the role of flippers.

Another distinctive feature that waterfowl have is dense feathering and the presence of a special sebaceous gland, the secret of which is to lubricate feathers, preventing them from getting wet. Waterfowl are either predators or omnivores. "Strict vegetarians" are not among them. Each species "specializes" on its own food, so different waterfowl quite calmly share one marsh, a lake or a part of the sea surface, occupying a specific ecological niche. Seagulls, for example, grab fish from the surface of the water, cormorants dive to the depth from the flight altitude, and ducks-dives dive from the surface of the water. Some species immerse only their head in the water for food finding.

I really hope you were interested in reading my story. Now you know a little more about waterfowl.
Thank you very much for your attention and see you soon! :)