Name: Martina Borg

Class: 505

I am going to relate my work done by Charles

Darwin in the voyage of the beagle when he

answered at the Galapagos Islands and

analyses variation in different finches ( birds ). I

am going to do the similar work on Maltese

Migratory Birds.

Loons

Loons are also known as divers.

Loons are a

group of aquatics

birds. All living

species are members of the genus Gavia, family Gaviidae and order Gaviiformes.

The loon, the size of a large duck or

small goose, resembles these birds in shape

when swimming. Males are larger on average, but relative size is only apparent when the

male and female are together.

Loons find their prey by sight. They eat

mainly fish.

There are 5 species worldwide and 1 species

which occur in Malta.

Grebes

Grebes are small to medium-large in size, have

lobed toes, and are excellent swimmers and

divers. However, although they can run for a

short distance, they are prone to falling over,

since they have their feet placed far back on

the body.

There are about 19 species in the world and 3

species which happen to be in Malta.

Flamingos

Flamingos are gregarious wading birds, usually

3 to 5 feet (1.5 m) high, found in both the

Western and Eastern Hemispheres. They are

more numerous in the latter. Flamingos filter-

feed on shellfish and algae. Their oddly-shaped

beaks are specially adapted to separate mud

and silt from the food they consume, and are

uniquely used upside-down. There are about 6

species worldwide and 1 species which occurs

in Malta.

Cuckoos

Order: Cuculiformes.

Family: Cuculidae

The family Cuculidae includes cuckoos, roadrunners and anis.

These birds are of variable size with slender

bodies, long tails and strong legs. Unlike the

cuckoo species of the Old World, North

American cuckoos are not brood parasites.

There are about 141 species worldwide and 2 species which occur in Malta.

Common Cuckoo

Bee-eaters

Order: Coraciiformes.

Family: Meropidae

The bee-eaters are a group of near passerine birds in the family Meropidae. Most

species are found in Africa but others occur in

southern Europe, Madagascar, Australia and

New Guinea. They are characterised by richly

coloured plumage, slender

bodies and usually elongated central tail feathers. All are

colorful and have long

downturned bills and pointed

wings, which give them a

swallow-like appearance when seen from afar. There are about

26 species worldwide and 2

species which occur in Malta.

Blue-cheeked Bee-eater Merops persicus (A) European Bee-eater Merops apiaster

Birds Size

loons 66 to 91 cm

grebes 23.5cm to 71cm

flamingos 1.5m high

cuckoo 15cm to 63cm

Bee-eaters 16cm-18cm

As you can see all migratory birds are in different sizes, the largest being the flamingo

while the smallest bird is the bee-eater.

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

loons grebes flamingos cuckoo bee-eaters

Table 1 - Sizes

Series 1

Birds Colour

Loons Black with white

patches

Grebes Brown with white patches

Flamingos Pink with white

patches

Cuckoo grey

Bee-eaters colourful

The majority of the migratory birds have white

patches such as loons and flamingos. The bee-

eaters are colourful and the cuckoo are dark in

colour.

pie chart

dark colours with white patches

grey

colourful

Birds Size of leg

Loons Small

Grebes Small

Flamingos Long

Cuckoo Medium

Bee-eaters Small

Three migratory birds have small legs which

are the loons, grebes and the bee-eaters. The

cuckoo has medium legs so it could run faster

and the flamingo has long legs.

Sales

small legs

mediumed legs

large legs

Birds Structure of beak

Loons Long, pointed , thin

Grebes Long and pointed ,thin

Flamingos Long and bented

Cuckoo Short

Bee-eaters Long and thin

The bee-eater has a long and thin beak so the

bird will catch more easily his prey.

Sales

long

pointed

short

bented

thin

Birds Type of feathers

Loons Short feathers

Grebes Brown and long

Flamingos Very Long feathers

Cuckoo Short with patterns

Bee-eaters Thick and colourful

The flamingo has long feathers because they

cover the body to make it waterproof and

increase insulation while flying in cold weathers.

type of feathers

Short

long

colourful

Patterned

In this project I did some research about five

migratory birds of Malta. I point out the

different variations in only 5 characteristics.

This small project shows that variations are

important for different lifestyles of these

species. Different variations allow for different

exploitations of different habitats, different

forms of shelter and defense from predators,

different movements and many more. The

better adapted species will be better during

competition for food, shelter, mate, etc and

therefore they will be able to survive more.

There is a total of 384 species, of which 167 are

rare or accidental. Malta has a limited range of

breeding birds with only 21 regular breeders

and about 17 occasional breeders. However, it

lies on a major migration route and many more

species pass through during spring and

autumn.