Bird Life

Food, Water and Shelter
Camouflage and Vision
Suggested Birding Activities Birding Checklist
Glossary

Plant Life

 

 

 

 

 

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Science: Bird Life

What makes a bird a bird?

Birds make up the class of vertebrates called “Aves.”  Their distinctive characteristics include their feathers, two wings, two legs, egg-laying ability, and beaks.  Every bird species is unique in its adaptations and habitat range.
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Birds can be found in nearly every type of habitat.  Their extraordinary adaptations help them endure even some of the harshest of natural environmental conditions.

Many bird species are especially attracted to riparian habitats, such as the Concord River, because of their abundant and varied sources of food, water, and shelter. 

Lowell is home to a range of natural resources, the Concord River Greenway Park (Greenway) is one such resource offering birders an excellent place to observe many different bird species from herons and mergansers to waxwings and warblers.

 

A bird’s-eye-view of the Greenway, is just that- “a green way or path through the city.”  The Greenway is a refuge from the city for people and wildlife alike.  

Flying overhead, looking down on the city, Lowell appears as a sea of gray buildings and roads with a beautiful green and blue, winding Concord River running north towards its confluence with the Merrimack River.

 

 

Although much of the city presents some obstacles to wildlife, birds in general are adapted for flying to ideal locations along the Concord River in Lowell where they are able to find resources essential to their survival [being food, water and shelter].