Alternative relationships between birds and plants
The diverse groups of creatures that live in the world are all closely related to plants, and birds are no exception. The most famous example of the relationship between the U. and the plant is the dodo (to extinction)
And the big cranial olive tree up.
Both the dodo and the macrocephalic olive tree are endemic to the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean, and since the island has no natural predators, the dodo has evolved to be fat and heavy, and has lost the ability to fly, no longer like their flying pigeon ancestors. In the late 16th century, European colonists came to the island and began to hunt this large pigeon without any defense, and by 1681, this species endemic to the island of Mauritius had disappeared from the earth forever. However, the story does not end here, because the large skull olive tree is a precious wood, people want to artificially breed them, but no matter how carefully people take care of it, the seeds planted do not germinate.
Fast forward 300 years, and by the 1980s, there were only 13 large cranial olive trees left in the world, and the youngest was 300 years old. In 1981, the secret of the large-scale olive tree was finally revealed: the seeds of the large-scale olive tree had a thick seed coat, and if they were planted directly, the young shoots that germinated would all die because they could not be drilled. Dodos, on the other hand, like to eat the fruit of the large cranial olive tree, and they have a very strong sand stomach, which can thin the seed coat of the large cranial olive tree and make them shine smoothly. After the extinction of the dodo, there was no animal that could replace this work, so the large skull olive tree also went to extinction. Knowing this secret, scientists have found a spitting chicken with the same strong sand stomach to replace the dodo bird, complete the task of eating fruit and grinding seeds, and finally save this endangered species.
The pecking crow is a small bird in the family Sunbird family of passeriformes, and they are also a good helper for plants to spread seeds, but they do not spread towering trees, but parasitic plants that parasitize on large trees, especially those closely related to the mistletoe parasitic plants of the genus Mulberry.
Parasitic plants can grow and sprout on the branches of large trees, all thanks to flowerpeckers. It turns out that the flowerpecker especially likes to eat the fruit of the parasitic plant, always swallowing the whole thing, but the fruit is digested by the bird, and the seed can remain intact through its digestive system and will be excreted with the excrement. However, although the fruit of the parasitic plant is delicious, the seeds are very sticky and tend to stick to the anus. The bird finds something sticking to its butt, of course it feels uncomfortable, so it will find a branch to wipe its ass. wipe...... wipe...... The sticky seeds thus stick to the branches, take root and sprout, and continue to produce delicious and strongly sticky seeds, luring the pecks to continue to help them spread the seeds.
Birds have a variety of recipes, and their beaks are adapted to different feeding habits, each with its own advantages, and if you look at the way their beaks look, you will probably know what they eat. The beak of the sparrow is even more distinctive.
There are four species of interlocutors worldwide, two of which can be seen in China: the red-billed finch and the white-winged cross-billed finch, whose upper and lower beaks are crossed. The beak looks awkward like this, but when it comes time to eat, this strange-looking guy comes in handy: the mouth finches feed on pine nuts, but the nutrient-rich pine nuts are not easy to get, and they are tightly protected by the pine tower. For such a tight guard, the other Uls had no choice, but it was difficult to turn the sparrows, they stretched the beak that crossed up and down into the gap of the pine tower, and then twisted, the pine tower was pried open. The secret weapon of the sparrow was specially evolved to eat pine nuts.
Most birds are gluttonous, in addition to the sparrow, many species of birds also have their own favorite plant recipes, many places of the people to give them a corresponding common name. China's unique green-tailed rainbow pheasant,
It is mainly distributed in Sichuan, Qinghai and Gansu, because they like to eat shellfish, so they are also called shell hens.
In addition to eating, the relationship between birds and plants is diverse. When it comes to mimesis, people often think of stick insects, inchworms and other small guys, but birds also have mimicry. This is the case with the emu of the heron family. They live in reeds along the water's edge, often with their heads raised upwards, simulating the shape of reeds. The best of these is the cannabis emu, and if you don't look closely, it's really hard to distinguish them from the reeds! They are also quite confident in their disguise, and when humans or other animals approach, they will continue to maintain the posture of camouflage reeds until they feel that they cannot be deceived.
Birds and plants live together in a space, they influence each other, co-evolve, and they are indispensable to form our vibrant planet. Related Links: Birds and plants are closely related to the following in addition to the aforementioned Dodo and Macrocephalus trees, the Flowerpecker and Quercus parasitism, the Red-billed Finches and the Oil Pine:
Green-tailed Rainbow Pheasant and Mother-of-Pearl: The green-tailed rainbow pheasant is fond of the bulbs of the mother-of-pearl, so it is called the shell hen by the locals.
Mandarin duck and large poplar tree: When the mandarin duck breeds, it will choose the tree hole of the big tree near the mountain stream, and the big poplar tree is their favorite choice.
Oakpecker Ebony and Oak Tree: The OakPecker Ebony is not all insect-eating, and the Oak Peck Ebony, which is mainly distributed in the southwestern United States and Mexico, is closely related to the Oak tree and the Oak genus commonly known as the Oak Tree.
This woodpecker feeds on oak seeds. They move together as a family, and when the oak seeds are ripe, they spend the day collecting them and pecking holes in the trunk, stuffing them for later consumption.
Burrow and thorny plants: Berau is a well-deserved "bird of prey" in the order Finches, and large insects are their staple food, and frogs, rats and even small birds will not let go.
However, unlike real birds of prey, Berau's claws and beak are not strong enough to tear the prey apart, so Berau will choose spiny plants like locust and thorn plum, and hang the prey on the spines in order to decompose the prey and eat.
Nest site selection of the chestnut-spotted bunting: The nest is an important tool for bird breeding, and many birds are very strict about the nest site selection. The chestnut-spotted bunting, which lives in the northeast of China, is an endangered bird, and when they choose a nest site, the height and quantity of mountain apricots, the density of Baikal stipa, the density of large oil, the height of Xing'an hu branches and the height of edelweiss are very important factors.
Pheasant and chia: Pheasant distributed in the south of China, is a kind of wetland-dependent birds, with long toes, most suitable for walking on the leaves of water plants, the southern solid field is their best habitat, but as the solid field in Guangdong and other places is gradually filled in and developed into factories or real estate land, the living space of pheasant is getting smaller and smaller.