Page 48 - Complete Birds of Britain and Europe (DK - RSPB)

INTRODUCTION

FOREST AND WOODLAND OAK AND BEECH WOODS
Oak woods (below) let in more light
ost of Europe would naturally be covered with forest, than beech (right), so have a thicker,
Mbut human activities have destroyed many areas and left more varied shrub layer beneath and
consequently a greater variety of birds.
others impoverished. Even so, Europe’s forests and woodlands
still include such varied types as Mediterranean
evergreen oak and ancient Scots pine forest.

DECIDUOUS WOODS
The character of deciduous woods changes
greatly with the seasons, so offers different
opportunities and challenges to birds.
Deciduous trees lose their leaves in winter
to survive the cold. Insects are abundant
and active in summer, but many of them
survive the winter as cocoons or eggs, or
hibernate, so insect-eating birds are forced
to migrate unless they can turn to seeds in
winter.In contrast,many seed-eating species
are year-round woodland residents.
The gnarled trunks of deciduous
trees have many crevices
for birds to nest in.

PIED FLYCATCHER
Pied Flycatchers need holes for
nesting, most easily found in
mature deciduous trees.

EVERGREEN FORESTS CROSSBILLS
Evergreen trees – mostly conifers – keep Cones have nutritious
seeds but are protected by
their leaves year-round. Conifers tend to be
tough, overlapping scales.
smoother and straighter than many deciduous
Crossbills have evolved a
trees, and have fewer holes for nesting birds.
special, cross-tipped bill
Their insect food is more uniform through that can prise these apart.
the seasons but their seed production tends They reach the seeds
to fluctuate, resulting in a few good years inside using their tongues.
between several poor ones. Some birds breed
well in such forests during the good years CONIFERS
but move out in a nomadic search for food Conifers suit a wide variety of birds as the trees
when the seeds run out. Conifers have mature. Old trees and open glades at the edge
of a forest create a light, accessible area.
tough needle-leaves and their dense foliage
casts a deep shade, so few plants can grow
underneath them.This reduces the variety
of feeding and nesting possibilities for birds.

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