Birds are changing their feeding strategies in recent era

We know evolution means to make changes within ourselves over time that are environmentally compatible. 

It can also be said simply that with changing times living things have changed themselves in such a way that they are on this planet today. Man has been the most successful in the whole process.

Similarly, the rest of the animals and plants which are present on this land are successful and are covered with their environment. But the change in the environment is having a very bad effect on the lives of living beings.

How climate changes are affecting animals

There are many changes taking place on the planet, which are mostly due to humans. The big problem that has caused so many small problems is global warming. This is changing the environment and making it difficult for animals as well as plants to survive. Organisms that were very well adapted to a particular ecosystem are very worried about the change in environment and are at risk for their survival.

It explains something that animals that were flourishing in a particular environment are going to be in a state where they are difficult to live.

The living space for animals is running out. Birds are particularly affected by the change in temperature that even in their reproductive season, temperature now changes to such an end that it is not favorable for birds and they get damaged instead of hatching from eggs.

Similarly, natural food resources are being lost due to the cutting of bird habitat which is mostly trees. Therefore, animals or birds have not been happy for the last few decades and are moving towards rapid extinction. ^[1]https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/7966/Impacts_climate_change_wildlife.pdf?sequence=3&isAllowed=y ^[2]Impact of climate change on animal health and welfare | Animal Frontiers | Oxford Academic (oup.com)

How are animals trying to save themselves?

Animals or plants are not intelligent enough to find different solutions like humans. But they are trying to adapt to the changing environment as they can, and that will save them in the next generations.

An example that is being placed before you is that of a white heron in Asia.

How is the white heron fighting for his survival?

A white heron is basically a bird of water and is seen hunting frogs and fish etc. in the water itself. Now the water has gone out. That is, like the rest of the birds, the herons also liked the wetland where they could spend a lot of time. And for centuries they were covered in the same environment, but as the temperature began to rise, water from the wetland swelled into the air. Wetlands were going to disappear. And so the bad time began on the herons and the other aquatic birds. All kinds of birds tried to save themselves, but the herons remained one step ahead.

They left the wetland and became close to the agroecosystem. This simply means that they adapted themselves to the available environment in which they could survive. In the agroecosystems, white herons now began to eat frogs, etc., as food and made their nests on trees next to humans.

But their calamity did not last long. Due to humans, undue intoxicating and pesticides were used on crops and a large part of their food started to run out. These birds went back to the same situation as when the wetland was finished.

They went one step further and became closer to human beings. These birds have come to the human markets and today they are neighbors of slaughterhouses and are feeding themselves with animal impurities, animals excreta, and animal waste parts of butchers shops.

You can see these situations well in the countries of Asia. Regardless of this, the crows, etc., are opposite to them as competitors herons are struggling for their survival.

The point to think is that herons transfer from the entire natural wetland to the agroecosystem and then come to the densely populated human settlements and markets is a great example of the battle for survival.

A white heron is telling the human beings that because of you my house is destroyed, so I am now the inhabitant of your house.

Written by: Dr. Muhammad Mohsin Ahsan

Reviewed by:
Dr. Muhammad Tahir Ph.D. (PU)
Post Doctorate
American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA