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What is ornithology?

Ornithology is the scientific study of birdsand ornithologistsstudy every aspect of bird life. Some ornithologists look at how birds live in their environment, whileothers look at how the parts of birds work together to make a bird. Some ornithologists focus on how

birds find food, while others focus on how birds digest food. Some ornithologists research changes inpopulations of birds across whole continents; others study changes in blood cells in an individual bird.Ornithologsts sometimes study how birds evolved and what their ancestors looked like, and still othersstudy how birds are changing in today's environment and how they might be affected by ecologicalchange in the future.

Siberian Crane

The Siberian Crane (Grus leucogeranus), also known as the Siberian White Craneor the SnowCrane, is a critically endangeredspeciesof crane. These cranes are found in two groups: theeastern group, which migrates from eastern Siberiato China, the central group, which migrates fromwestern Siberiato India.

dult Siberian cranes are !"# cm($ft) tall and weight %kg(!&lbs).'Their plumage is pure white,e*cept for some wing feathers, which are black. The front of the face does not ha+e any feathersand is reddish in color.

http://www.nmnh.si.edu/BIRDNET/birds/whatsabird.htmlhttp://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cmhttp://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cmhttp://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fthttp://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fthttp://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kghttp://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kghttp://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pound_(mass)http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pound_(mass)http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siberian_Crane#cite_note-icf-2http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siberian_Crane#cite_note-icf-2http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cmhttp://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fthttp://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kghttp://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pound_(mass)http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siberian_Crane#cite_note-icf-2http://www.nmnh.si.edu/BIRDNET/birds/whatsabird.html

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Siberian cranes distincti+e morphology, +ocali-ation, and feeding

and courtship beha+ior distinguish itself from other cranespecies '!. It also has special habitat re/uirements, e*clusi+elyusing wetlands for nesting, feeding, and roosting '!. Siberiancranes are most fre/uently obser+ed wading and probing for food(tubers of submerged plants, V. spiralis), in shallow (up to cmdeep) waters '!. The long bill and toes, and long serrated beakof Siberian craneare highly adapted the shallow wateren+ironment speciali-ed for probing tubers.

They have been around for a million years on earth. Perhaps theywere widespread across their breeding grounds in the arctic tundraof Russia before the advent of humans. Early records (pre-19!"s#

http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0065843#pone.0065843-Johnsgard1http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0065843#pone.0065843-Meine1http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0065843#pone.0065843-Meine1http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0065843#pone.0065843-Johnsgard1http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0065843#pone.0065843-Meine1http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0065843#pone.0065843-Meine1

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indicate that they were still to be found in poc$ets of %entral &iberiali$e 'a$utia and rasnoyars$ till the 19)!"s

y all accounts they mated for life and successfully raised a single chic$ nestled amidst stillunmelted snow which harmonised perfectly with their snowy swan-li$e plumage *1)+ p,9.%ome winter they travelled south to escape the onset of harsher conditions and thedeclining daylight hours. Their migration was long+ in fact the longest by any crane speciesin the world. n the south lay the warm food-rich plains of the ndian subcontinent /ust acrossthe unforgiving altitudes of the high 0imalaya. Perhaps they were not as well-euipped as2ar-headed 3eese to tac$le o4ygen-de5cient high altitudes and found a way to s$irt the highelevations. 6r+ perhaps+ they needed some hospitable staging points. 7hatever be thereason+ they charted a route which too$ them over long stretches of populated areas anddenied them the relative safe passage of the uninhabitable 0imalayan ranges 8 a choice that

would ultimately play a catastrophic role on their survival fortunes.

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Arctic tern

,)+!!! $m each year that ta$e 9! days each side

Pied Crested Cuckoo

Africa to India

May to October

The American Golden-Plover

$,### miles, " months

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an4 &hearwaters

an4 &hearwaters migrate over 11+!!! $m to &outh :merica in

winter ; months

Siberian Crane

The migration route stretches for "### miles % months

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