What is the most active bird? During the day, birds can be spotted everywhere in their large numbers. Over 18,000 bird species still live in the world today including diurnal and nocturnal birds. The diurnal birds are noted to be most active only during day and they spend their night resting. The nocturnal birds like owls, night herons, nighthawks are the most active at night. The nocturnal birds often their time foraging, hunting, caring for their young and also carry out several other activities.
The eagles & hawks which are predatory bird species are said to be the most active during afternoon hours. The small birds often try avoiding being active in the open places where they can easily be sighted by the raptors. To clearly spot diurnal birds, dawn is by far the best time and during dusk, you can have the best of nocturnal species. A successful bird watching is best achieved when you rightly time it.
Hawks are medium sized diurnal bird species of prey, belonging to Accipitridae family. They are distributed widely and come in varying sizes. The Accipitrinae sub-family include Sharp shinned hawks, Sparrowhawk, Goshawks etc. These are notably the woodland avifaunal species and they feature long tails and have sharp vision. Hawks like many birds do migrate especially during autumn (from August to mid-December) and spring.
How do birds sleeps?
Birds like other animals tend to be active during the day and sleep at night. Where and how they sleep is chosen carefully to ensure that they survive all the night and they use some tricks to guide them especially in case of predator’s attacks. Most birds choose cavities/niches to roost during night, an element that helps prevent predators from getting easy access.
Cavities are also used to offer protection in case of the poor weather and it includes bird roast boxes/empty birdhouses. The other common roosting spots include thick thickets, tree canopies and snags.
Wading bird species like flamingos, egrets & herons tend to sleep while standing in the water/on an Island. In case of any danger, wading birds take advantage of the splashing sounds and wave vibrations of a predators often act as wading birds’ warning system.
Ducks and the rest of waterfowls do float on the water in order to sleep and this provides them similar noise alarm system wading birds often use to detect predator presence in the area. The small birds on the other hand sleep perched high in the trees just near the tree trunks.
Majority of the birds like the red winged black birds and gregarious species make a big roost flocks during the night. This is mainly to offer them safety in numbers while they rest at night. Most birds along the edge of flock tend to stay alert all night to protect the rest from predators or threats.
Whereas sleeping is the prime activity during the night for most avifaunal species, there are several other activities these species often perform. They may work to lure mate/migrate to new places. They can spend a night singing to advertise their territory at a time or use the night for migrating.
