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Migratory Birds of the Maltese Islands

Juvenile Greater Flamingo at Ghadira Nature Reserve

A female sparrow in Ghadira Nature Reserve

Name:Chantelle Farrugia

Class:5 Diamond

Subject:Biology

Teacher:Mrs.Ebejer Grech

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Introduction

In this project I will be writing about variations and selection with

reference to a small selection of migratory birds of the Maltese Islands. I

chose to write about this topic as part of my studies of the form 5 topic

“The Blueprint of Life” in which I studied about variations in species. I

chose to study birds as part of my eTwinning project with Spain, Greece, Italy and Poland “Across Europe With Migratory Birds”.

In Form 3 we learnt about “The Voyage of The Beagle” that Charles

Darwin did from the 27th December 1831 till the 2nd of October of 1831.

During this voyage Charles Darwin studied different forms of living things

and was one of the pioneers of the theory of evolution and also

classification. During this voyage that started from Plymouth Sound

England, he visited the Galapagos Islands where he studied, amongst

other things, finches.

Charles Darwin, during his voyage of the Beagle arrived at the Galápagos

Islands. On Chatham Island the first field note that he recorded was of a

mockingbird similar to those he had seen on the continent. On Charles

Island, he found a mockingbird and "fortunately happened to observe"

that it differed from the Chatham Island specimen, so from then on he

carefully noted where mockingbirds had been caught. On Albermarle

Island, Darwin saw swarms of small birds and there he made his only

note of the finches he was not bothering to label by island. He caught a

third species of Mockingbird. Darwin wrote up his notes, and to his

astonishment found that all the mockingbirds caught on Charles,

Albemarle, James and Chatham Islands differed from island to island. He

wrote "This birds which is so closely allied to the Thenca of Chili

(Callandra of B. Ayres) is singular from existing as varieties or distinct

species in the different Isds.— I have four specimens from as many

Isds.— These will be found to be 2 or 3 varieties.— Each variety is

constant in its own Island...."...

The various Galápagos Mockingbirds Darwin caught resembled Charles Darwin

the Chilean Mockingbird Mimus thenka, but differed from island

to island.

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Some Information about Charles Darwin’s Finches:

Darwin's finches (also known as the Galápagos finches) are a group of

about 15 species of passerine birds. They often are classified as the

subfamily Geospizinae or tribe Geospizini. They were first collected by

Charles Darwin on the Galápagos Islands during the second voyage of the Beagle. All are found only on the Galápagos Islands, except the Cocos

Island Finch from Cocos Island.

The term Darwin's Finches was first applied by Percy Lowe in 1936, and

popularised in 1947 by David Lack in his book Darwin's Finches. The birds

vary in size from 10 to 20 cm and weigh between 8 and 38 grams. The

smallest are the warbler-finches and the largest is the Vegetarian Finch.

The most important differences between species are in the size and shape

of their beaks, and the beaks are highly adapted to different food sources.

The birds are all dull-coloured.

Charles Darwin’s Finches

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In my project, I shall do a similar work like Darwin did when he analysed

the variations of the finches. But I shall be concentrating on a small

number of different migratory birds of the Maltese islands where I shall be

studying:

the size of bird

the colour of bird

the size of leg

the structure of the beak the type of feathers

Variations in Maltese Migratory Birds

The birds fauna of the Maltese Islands includes a total of 384 species, of which 167 are rare or accidental. Malta has a limited range of breeding

birds with only 21 regular breeders and about 17 occasional breeders.

However, it lies on a major migration route and many more species pass

through during spring and autumn.

From all these birds I shall concentrate only on the following:

Biological Name of Bird English name Maltese names

Ciconia ciconia White Stork Ċikonja Bajda

Phoenicopterus roseus Greater Flamingo Fjamingu

Cygnus olor Mute Swan Ċinju

Grus grus Common Crane Grawwa

Caprimulgus europaeus European Nightjar Buqrajq

Asio otus Long Eared Owl Qattus

Streptopelia decaocto Collared Dove Gamiema tal-Kullar

Monticola solitarius Blue Rock Thrush Merill

Passer hiapaniolensis Spanish Sparrow Għasfur tal-Bejt

Montrifringilla nivalis White-winged Snowfinch Sponsun tas-Silġ

1. Ċikonja Bajda

The White Stork (Ciconia ciconia) is a large bird in the stork family Ciconiidae. Its plumage is mainly white, with black on its wings. Adults

have long red legs and long pointed red beaks, and measure on average

100–115 cm from beak tip to end of tail, with a 155–215 cm wingspan.

The two subspecies, which differ slightly in size, breed in Europe (north to Finland), north western Africa, south western Asia (east to southern

Kazakhstan) and southern Africa. The White Stork is a long-distance

migrant, wintering in Africa from tropical Sub-Saharan Africa to as far

south as South Africa, or on the Indian subcontinent. When migrating

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between Europe and Africa, it avoids crossing the Mediterranean Sea and

detours via the Levant in the east or the Strait of Gibraltar in the west,

because the air thermals on which it depends do not form over water.

A carnivore, the White Stork eats a wide range of animal prey, including

insects, fish, amphibians, reptiles, small mammals and small birds. It

takes most of its food from the ground, among low vegetation, and from

shallow water. It is a monogamous breeder, but does not pair for life. Both members of the pair build a large stick nest, which may be used for

several years. Each year the female can lay one clutch of usually four

eggs, which hatch asynchronously 33–34 days after being laid. Both

parents take turns incubating the eggs and both feed the young. The

young leave the nest 58–64 days after hatching, and continue to be fed

by the parents for a further 7–20 days.

Distribution: The nominate race of the White Stork has a wide although

disjunct summer range across Europe, clustered in the Iberian Peninsula

and North Africa in the west, and much of eastern and central Europe,

with 25 percent of the world's population concentrated in Poland, as well as parts of western Asia. The asiatica population of about 1450 birds is

restricted to a region in central Asia between the Aral Sea and Xinjiang in

western China.. The Xinjiang population is believed to have become

extinct around 1980. Migration routes extend the range of this species

into many parts of Africa and India. Some populations adhere to the eastern migration route, which passes across Israel into eastern and

central Africa.

Breeding and lifespan: The White Stork breeds in open farmland areas

with access to marshy wetlands, building a large stick nest in trees, on

buildings, or on purpose-built man-made platforms. Each nest is 1–2 m in depth, 0.8–1.5 m in diameter, and 60–250 kg in weight. Nests are built in

loose colonies. Not persecuted as it is viewed as a good omen, it often

nests close to human habitation; in southern Europe, nests can be seen

on churches and other buildings. The nest is typically used year after year

especially by older males. The males arrive earlier in the season and choose the nests. Larger nests are associated with greater numbers of

young successfully fledged, and appear to be sought after. Nest change is

often related to a change in the pairing and failure to raise young the

previous year, and younger birds are more likely to change nesting sites. A succession of pairs have been observed occupying a nest for a few days

before moving on, the reason for which is unclear.

Status: Rare migrant, both in spring and autumn. Usually 2 to 3 sightings

per year, mostly of singles but sometimes recorded in small flocks. On

14th September 2010 a flock of 28 White Stork, accompanied by 1 Black

Stork, was seen from Buskett. This was the largest flock ever recorded in Malta. Unfortunately most of the White Storks that visit the Maltese

Islands end up getting shot by poachers.

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When to See: March till May in Spring, August till September in Autumn.

It is more common in Autumn than in Spring.

Where to See: Can be seen from anywhere flying over. Buskett and

Dwejra are good spots.

2. Fjamingu

The Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus) is the most widespread

species of the flamingo family. It is found in parts of Africa, southern Asia

(coastal regions of Pakistan and India), and southern Europe (including Spain, Albania, Turkey, Greece, Cyprus, Portugal, Italy and the Camargue

region of France). Some populations are short distance migrants, and

sightings north of the breeding range are relatively frequent; however,

given the species' popularity in captivity, whether or not these are truly

wild individuals is a matter of some debate. A single bird was seen on North Keeling Island (Cocos (Keeling) Islands) in 1988. The Greater

Flamingo is the state bird of Gujarat, India.

The Greater Flamingo is a large bird and well-known to many people. It is

tall, pink and white plumage with a down curved bill. It has pink legs and

reveals black wings with crimson red in flight. In flight its pink neck is a key feature in identification especially if seen very far away. Feeds on

invertebrates and algae by funneling its beak through shallow water. It

breeds in several colonies around the Mediterranean with c 35,000 pairs

mainly in Spain, Sardinia, France and Turkey. Juvenile birds are darker

and more grey. Often seen in flocks.

Status: The Greater Flamingo is scarce and irregular, mostly seen in singles or small flocks offshore. Some singles or couples rest at Ghadira

Nature Reserve for some time. A single 1st year flamingo stayed at

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Ghadira from September 2008 till May 2009. On 6th November 2008 a

1st year Flamingo, carrying a ring from Sardegna was present at Salina.

When to See: It is recorded in a number of different months, but mostly

in September migrating along the coast.

Where to See: Occasionally some individuals 1-2 spend some hours or days at Ghadira Nature Reserve where they feed. Other sites; Qawra,

Salina and around the coast.

3. Ċinju

The Mute Swan (Cygnus olor) is a species of swan, and thus a member of

the duck, goose and swan family Anatidae. It is native to much of Europe

and Asia, and (as a rare winter visitor) the far north of Africa. It is also an

introduced species in North America, Australasia and southern Africa. The

name 'mute' derives from it being less vocal than other swan species. Measuring 125 to 170 centimetres in length, this large swan is wholly

white in plumage with an orange bill bordered with black. It is

recognisable by its pronounced knob atop the bill.

Description: Adults of this large swan typically range from 140 to 160 cm

long, although can range in extreme cases from 125 to 170 cm, with a 200 to 240 cm wingspan. Males are larger than females and have a larger

knob on their bill. On average, this is the second largest waterfowl species

after the Trumpeter Swan, although male Mute Swans can easily match or

even exceed a male Trumpeter in mass. Among standard measurements

of the Mute Swan, the wing chord measures 53–62.3 cm, the tarsus is 10–11.8 cm and the bill is 6.9–9 cm. The Mute Swan is one of the

heaviest flying birds, with males (known as cobs) averaging about 11–12

kg and the slightly smaller females (known as pens) weighing about 8.5–

9 kg. While the top normal weight for a big cob is 15 kg, one unusually big Polish cob weighed almost 23 kg, and this counts as the largest

verified weight for a flying bird, although it has been questioned whether

this heavyweight could still take flight. Its size, orange-reddish bill and

white plumage make this swan almost unmistakable at close quarters.

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Compared with the other Northern white swans, the Mute Swan can easily

be distinguished by its curved neck and orange, black-knobbed bill, which is larger in males. Unlike most other Northern swan species (who usually

inhabit only pristine wetlands without regular human interference), the

Mute Swan has, in some parts of the world, become habituated and

fearless towards humans. Such swans are often seen at close range in

urban areas with bodies of water.

Young birds, called cygnets, are not the bright white of mature adults,

and their bill is dull greyish-black, not orange, for the first year. The down

may range from pure white to grey to buff, with grey/buff the most

common. The white cygnets have a leucistic gene. All Mute Swans are

white at maturity, though the feathers (particularly on the head and neck)

are often stained orange-brown by iron and tannins in the water.

The morph immutabilis ("Polish Swan") has pinkish (not dark grey) legs

and dull white cygnets; as with white domestic geese, it is only found in

populations with a history of domestication.

Distribution and Habitat: The Mute Swan is found naturally mainly in

temperate areas of Europe across western Asia, as far east as the Russian

Maritimes, near Sidemi. Gmelin (1789) and John Latham (1824) reported

Mute Swans present in Kamchatka in the 18th century.

It is partially migratory throughout northern latitudes in Europe and Asia,

as far south as north Africa and the Mediterranean. It is known and

recorded to have nested in Iceland and is a vagrant to that area, as well

as to Bermuda, according to the U.N. Environmental Programme chart of

international status chart of bird species, which places it in 70 countries, breeding in 49 countries, and vagrant in 16 countries. While most of the

current population in Japan is introduced, Mute Swans are depicted on

scrolls more than a thousand years old, and wild birds from the mainland

Asian population still occur rarely in winter. Natural migrants to Japan

usually occur along with Whooper and sometimes Bewick's Swans.

The Mute Swan is protected in most of its range, but this has not

prevented illegal hunting and poaching. It is often kept in captivity

outside its natural range, as a decoration for parks and ponds, and

escapes have happened. The descendants of such birds have become

naturalised in the eastern United States and Great Lakes, much as the

Canada Goose has done in Europe.

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4. Grawwa

The Common Crane (Grus grus), also known as the Eurasian Crane, is a

bird of the family Gruidae, the cranes. A medium-sized species, it is the

only crane commonly found in Europe besides the Demoiselle Crane. It is also one of only four crane species (with the Sandhill and Demoiselle

Cranes and the Brolga) not currently classified as threatened with

extinction or conservation dependent at the species level.

The Common Crane is one of the most popular birds across Europe, often

recognised as a symbol of migration and also due to its grus grus call!

The Common Crane is a big bird with a wingspan ranging from 1.8-2.2 meters across. It is sometimes confused with the Grey Heron but the two

species are very different both in habits and identification. This bird has a

grey body and a thick pale neck. Also has a black face and throat with a

red patch on crown. It also has long dark legs. It feeds by digging up the soil in search of worms, insects and larvae. The Common Crane breeds in

Northern Europe on remote bogs and undisturbed forests. In autumn

migrates to Spain and Northern African countries. They are known to live

up to 20 years and its overall population is vulnerable.

Status: Scarce and irregular migrant, numbers vary from year to year. On

the 20th and 21st December 2009 an exceptional influx occurred where

more than a 1000 birds were recorded migrating over Malta.

When to See: Mostly recorded in autumn between October and December. Some are also seen in January. In Spring; from late February till mid-

April, Crane is also seen but in much smaller numbers than in

Autumn/Winter.

Where to See: Can be seen flying over from anywhere in small to

medium- sized flocks. Rarely attempts to land as Malta does not offer suitable habitat. Anyhow if any birds try to do so, they will eventually get

shot illegally. Luqa International Airport is a preferred site by local birders

in winter to look for this species flying over.

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5. Buqrajq

The European Nightjar, Eurasian Nightjar or just Nightjar (Caprimulgus

europaeus) is the only representative of the nightjar family of birds in

most of Europe and temperate Asia.

A mysterious bird which is active at dusk and dawn. It has a spotted brown grey body with a small head and tiny bill. Its tail is quite long. The

Male has white spots on the wingtips while the females do not have. The

Male is also bigger. The Nightjar feeds at night mainly insects and moths

during flight. It spends the day hiding with its camouflaged plumage on the ground or still in a tree. The nightjar has a very distinctive and

mechanical call gooik with a prolonged churrrr. Its call is very unique and

a pleasure to hear. It has extremely agile light maneuvering with twists

and turns. Nightjars migrate to Africa for the winter and come back to Europe to breed during Spring-Summer. It lays 2 eggs on bare ground

and they hatch after 18 days. It can leave up to 10 years. Unfortunately

the Nightjar is declining throughout Europe.

Status: Regular migrant seen in Autumn and Spring. Mainly seen hunting

in singles.

When to See: Mid-September till end of October and April-May.

Where to See: 2 of the best sites to see this bird are Buskett and Comino.

Other places include areas that are undisturbed with open area and some

woodland. Occasionally flushed while walking.

6. Qattus

The Long-eared Owl - Asio otus (previously: Strix otus) is a species of owl

which breeds in Europe, Asia, and North America. This species is a part of

the larger grouping of owls known as typical owls, family Strigidae, which contains most species of owl. The other grouping of owls are the barn

owls, family Tytonidae.

Description: The Long-eared Owl is a medium sized owl, 31–40 cm in

length with an 86–100 cm wingspan and a body mass of 178–435g. It

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has erect blackish ear-tufts, which are positioned in the center of the

head. The ear-tufts are used to make the owl appear larger to other owls while perched. The female is larger in size and darker in coloration than

the male. The Long-eared Owl’s brownish feathers are vertically streaked.

Tarsus and toes are entirely feathered. Eye disks are also characteristic in

this species. However, the eye disks of A. otus are darker in colour or rusty-orange. This nocturnal species is perhaps most easily seen perched

in a tree in its daytime roost, sometimes in small groups during the winter

months.

Behaviour: The Long-eared Owl's breeding season is from February to

July. This bird is partially migratory, moving south in winter from the

northern parts of its temperate range. Its habitat is forest close to open

country.

It nests in trees, often coniferous, using the old stick nests of other birds

such as crows, ravens and magpies and various hawks. The average

clutch size is 4-6 eggs, and the incubation time averages from 25–30

days. It will readily use artificial nesting baskets. An unusual characteristic of this species is its communal roosting in thickets during

the winter months. The young have a characteristic call, likened to a rusty

hinge.

The Long-eared Owl hunts over open country by night. It is very long

winged, like the similar Short-eared Owl, and glides slowly on stiff wings

when hunting. Its food is mainly rodents, small mammals, and birds. In Europe it faces competition from the tawny owl and is most numerous

where the tawny is absent.

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7. Gamiema tal-Kullar

The Eurasian Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto) most often simply

called the Collared Dove, also sometimes hyphenated as Eurasian Collared-dove is a species of dove native to Asia and Europe, and also

recently introduced in North America.

The Collared Dove is a medium sized dove, slightly larger than the related

Turtle Dove. It is grey-buff to pinkish-grey overall, a little darker above

than below, with a blue-grey underwing patch. The tail feathers are grey-

buff above, and dark grey tipped white below; the outer tail feathers also tipped whitish above. It has a black half-collar edged with white on its

nape from which it gets its name. The short legs are red and the bill is

black. The iris is red, but from a distance the eyes appear to be black. The

eye is surrounded by a small area of bare skin, which is either white or

yellow.

The Collared Dove is not migratory, but is strongly dispersive. Over the

last century, it has been one of the great colonisers of the bird world. Its

original range at the end of the 19th century was warm temperate and

subtropical Asia from Turkey east to southern China and south through India to Sri Lanka. However, in the 20th century it expanded across

Europe, with it now being a common breeding bird in most european and

north african countries.

Collared Doves typically breed close to human habitation wherever food

resources are abundant and there are trees for nesting; almost all nests are within a kilometre of inhabited buildings. It lays two white eggs in a

stick nest, which are incubated by the female during the night and by the

male during the day. The males mating display is a ritual flight, which as

many other pigeons, consists of a rapid, nearly vertical climb to height, followed by a long glide downward in a circle, with the wings held below

the body in an inverted 'v'. It is not wary and often feeds very close to

human habitation, including visiting bird tables. The song is a coo-COO-

coo, repeated many times. It is phonetically similar to the Greek,

decaocto ('eighteen'), to which the bird owes its name.

Status: Common Breeder. Used to be a vagrant bird in the past, with only 8 records up to 1994. Then, following the overall population increase in

Europe, Collared Dove sightings started to increase. From 1999 onwards

it was recorded annually. The first breeding record of Collared Doves in

Malta was in 2003, when a nest with 2 chicks was observed on the 17th of August at Santa Maria Estate (Ghajn Zejtuna). From then on, the

population at Santa Maria Estate increased rapidly and the Collared Doves

now populate various parts of the Maltese Islands.

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When to See: All year round.

Where to See: Best place to see is by far Santa Maria Estate, Mellieha,

where the largest colony of Collared Doves in Malta is present. Other places with suitable habitats such as public gardens and cemeteries are

good placed to see this species.

8. Merill (not migratory)

The Blue Rock Thrush (Monticola solitarius) is a species of chat. This

thrush-like Old World flycatcher was formerly placed in the family

Turdidae.

This species breeds in southern Europe and northwest Africa, and from

central Asia to northern China and Malaysia.

The European, north African and southeast Asian birds are mainly

resident, apart from altitudinal movements. Other Asian populations are

more migratory, wintering in sub-Saharan Africa, India and southeast

Asia. This bird is a very uncommon visitor to northern and western

Europe.

Blue Rock Thrush breeds in open mountainous areas, usually higher than the breeding zone of the related Common Rock Thrush. It nests in rock

cavities and walls, and usually lays 3-5 eggs. An omnivore, the Blue Rock

Thrush eats a wide variety of insects and small reptiles in addition to

berries and seeds.

This is a starling-sized bird, 21–23 cm in length with a long slim bill. The summer male is unmistakable, with all blue-grey plumage apart from its

darker wings. Females and immatures are much less striking, with dark

brown upperparts, and paler brown scaly underparts. Both sexes lack the

reddish outer tail feathers of Rock Thrush.

The male Blue Rock Thrush sings a clear, melodious call that is similar to,

but louder than the call of the Rock Thrush.

The Blue Rock Thrush is Malta's national bird and used to be shown on

the Lm 1 coins that was part of the previous currency of the country.

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Status and Distribution: The Blue Rock Thrush population in Malta is quite

a strong one, with it being present along all the cliffs of western and northern coasts of mainland Malta. It is not usually recorded on the

eastern coast of mainland Malta due to the lack of cliffs. It is also found

breeding along the coasts of Gozo and Comino.

When to See: All year round

Where to See: Mainly near sea cliffs but may be also present in steep

inland valleys or near buildings in ruins. A very good place to see the Blue

Rock Thrush is the Majjistral Natural Park.

9. Għasfur tal-Bejt (not migratory)

The Spanish Sparrow or Willow Sparrow (Passer hispaniolensis) is a

passerine bird of the sparrow family Passeridae. It is found in the

Mediterranean region and southwest and central Asia. It is very similar to

the closely related House Sparrow, and the two species show their close relation in a "biological mix-up" of hybridisation in the Mediterranean

region, which complicates the taxonomy of this species.

Chunky familiar passerine, seen throughout Malta. Breeds in ventilators,

telegraph poles, trees etc. In breeding season, males have reddish brown

cap, white cheeks, black throat and black streaked chest, flanks and back.

Females and juveniles are duller, with brown and grey being their dominant colours. It is highly adaptable when it comes to its food, feeding

on anything edible it encounters. Big flocks gather at sunset to roost in

large trees such as Ficus, often in town squares. Even though it is a

resident species, some migrating flocks are noticed in October and November. Its call is a typical, clumsy "sparrowish" one. Its alarm call is a

very good indicator that a larger bird is present, as they tend to get

alarmed even if a Turtle Dove or a Cuckoo fly over, probably thinking they

are raptors.

Status and Distribution: Very Common, as it is not bothered at all by

human presence, it is present throughout Malta, Gozo and Comino.

When to See: All year round

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Where to See: Everywhere

10. Sponsun tas-Silġ

The White-winged Snowfinch (Montifringilla nivalis), or just Snowfinch, is a small passerine bird. Despite its name, it is a sparrow rather than a true

finch.

Distribution and Habitat: It is a resident breeding species on bare

mountains, typically above 1,500 metres, across southern Europe and

through central Asia to western China. It nests in crevices or rodent

burrows, laying 3–4 eggs.

Description: White-winged Snowfinch is a large stocky sparrow at 16.5–19 centimetres in length. It has brown upperparts, white underparts and a

grey head. There is a long narrow white wing panel. In summer, the bill is

black, and there is a black bib. The bib is lost in winter and the bill

becomes yellow. Sexes are similar. In flight, it shows black wings with huge white wing panels, and a white edged black tail. This bird has a

chattering song with many trills, and variety of rolling or creaky calls.

Behaviour: The White-winged Snowfinch's food is mainly seeds with some

insects. It is fearless, and will forage around ski resorts. It is hardy, and

rarely descends below 1,000 metres even in hard winter weather.

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Variations

1. Size of Birds

Biological Name of Bird English name Maltese names Approximate

Size of Bird

Ciconia ciconia White Storck Ċikonja Bajda 100cm

Phoenicopterus roseus Greater Flamingo Fjamingu 130cm

Cygnus olor Mute Swan Ċinju 150cm

Grus grus Common Crane Grawwa 115cm

Caprimulgus europaeus European Nightjar Buqrajq 30cm

Asio otus Long Eared Owl Qattus 40cm

Streptopelia decaocto Collared Dove Gamiema tal-Kullar

20cm

Monticola solitarius (not migratory)

Blue Rock Thrush Merill 23cm

Passer hiapaniolensis (not migratory)

Spanish Sparrow Għasfur tal-Bejt 16cm

Montrifringilla nivalis White-winged Snowfinch

Sponsun tas-Silġ 19cm

As you can see from this data, there are many different sizes of birds. They range from 16cm to 130cm. The smaller birds can fly with ease,

build small nests, and look for small sized foods in different places like

soil, bark of trees, holes, between rubble walls etc. The larger birds seek

food in larger places. They also need larger or more abundant food. They are heavier to fly although they fly with ease and migrate to distant

countries. The sizes of birds range from small to large. There is also

continuous variation of the sizes of birds.

2. Colour of Birds

Maltese name Colour of Bird Picture

Ċikonja Bajda

Its plumage is mainly white, with

black on its wings.

Its conspicuous colour doesn’t permit

much hiding by camouflage.

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Fjamingu Most of the plumage is pinkish-white,

but the wing coverts are red and the primary and secondary flight feathers

are black.

This bird has a conspicuous colour

that doesn’t permit much hiding by

camouflage in fields or countryside.

Ċinju This large swan is wholly white in

plumage with an orange bill bordered

with black.

Again this bird has a conspicuous

colour that doesn’t permit much

hiding by camouflage in fields or

countryside.

Grawwa This species is slate-grey overall. The

forehead and lores are blackish with

a bare red crown and a white streak extending from behind the eyes to

the upper back. The overall colour is

darkest on the back and rump and

palest on the breast and wings. The primaries, the tips of secondaries,

the alula, the tip of the tail, and the

edges of upper tail coverts are all

black and the greater coverts droop

into explosive plumes.

This bird has a conspicuous colour that doesn’t permit much hiding by

camouflage in fields or countryside.

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Buqrajq The plumage of the adult Nightjar is

lichen-grey, barred and streaked with buff, chestnut and black. The

under parts are barred. White spots

on primaries and white tips to the

outer tail feathers are characters of the male; in the young male these

are buff. The bill is black, the legs reddish brown.

These colours permit hiding by

camouflage in trees, fields,

countryside.

Qattus It has erect blackish ear-tufts, which

are positioned in the centre of the

head. The ear-tufts are used to make the owl appear larger to other owls

while perched. The female is larger in

size and darker in coloration than the

male. The Long-eared Owl’s brownish feathers are vertically streaked.

Tarsus and toes are entirely

feathered.

These colours permit hiding by

camouflage in trees, fields,

countryside.

Gamiema tal-Kullar

It is grey-buff to pinkish-grey overall, a little darker above than below, with

a blue-grey under wing patch. The

tail feathers are grey-buff above, and

dark grey tipped white below; the outer tail feathers also tipped whitish

above. It has a black half-collar

edged with white on its nape from

which it gets its name. The short legs are red and the bill is black. The iris

is red, but from a distance the eyes

appear to be black, as the pupil is

relatively large and only a narrow rim

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of reddish-brown iris can be seen

around the black pupil. The eye is surrounded by a small area of bare

skin, which is either white or yellow.

The two sexes are virtually

indistinguishable; juveniles differ in having a poorly developed collar, and

a brown iris.

This has a conspicuous colour that

doesn’t permit much hiding by

camouflage.

Merill (not

migratory) The summer male is unmistakable,

with all blue-grey plumage apart from its darker wings. Females and

immatures are much less striking,

with dark brown upperparts, and

paler brown scaly underparts. Both sexes lack the reddish outer tail

feathers of Rock Thrush.

The males have a conspicuous colour

that doesn’t permit much hiding by

camouflage in fields or countryside.

The females colour permit hiding by camouflage in trees, fields or

countryside.

Għasfur tal-Bejt

(not migratory)

The male is similar to the House

Sparrow in plumage, but differs in its underparts heavily streaked with

black, a chestnut rather than grey

crown, and white rather than grey

cheeks. The female is effectively inseparable from House Sparrow in

its plumage, which is grey-brown

overall but more boldly marked. The

female has light streaking on its

sides, a pale cream supercilium, and broad cream streaks on its

back.These colours permit hiding by

camouflage in trees,field,countryside.

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Sponsun tas-Silġ It has brown upperparts, white

underparts and a grey head. There is a long narrow white wing panel. In

summer, the bill is black, and there

is a black bib. The bib is lost in

winter and the bill becomes yellow. In flight, it shows black wings with

huge white wing panels, and a white

edged black tail.

The colours blend well with its type of habitat in cliffs and rocky parts.

As you can see from this data, there are very continuous variations of

colours.

3. Size of Leg

Maltese Name Size of Leg Variations

Ċikonja Bajda 20cm They have long red legs which

help them fly better.

Fjamingu 60cm A flamingo's long legs allow it to wade into deeper water in

search of food than other

birds.

Ċinju 10cm Its feet are large webbed

which help them especially when landing.

Grawwa 20cm Its long dark legs make it

easier when digging up the

soil in search of worms,

insects and larvae.

Buqrajq 5cm The short legs and feet are

brown to pinkish-brown. The

short legs make it easy when

standing.

Qattus 10cm The legs are feet are heavily feathered and enable long-

eared owls to move quickly.

Gamiema tal-Kullar 3cm Small feet used for perching

in trees and almost on all other terrain even wire.

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Merill (not migratory) 3cm It has small feet that enable

him to move quickly through branches and on ground.

Għasfur tal-Bejt (not

migratory) 2cm It has small feet that enable

him to move quickly through

branches and on ground, and

to fit well in its small nest.

Sponsun tas-Silġ 5cm Small feet that are good for

walking .

As you can see from this data, there is a continuous variation of the sizes

of the leg which range from short legged to large legged.

4. Structure of Beak

Maltese Name Structure of Beak

Ċikonja Bajda It has a long, straight pointed beak to catch the

prey.

Fjamingu A flamingo's beak has a filter like structure to

remove food from the water before the liquid is expelled.

Ċinju Their grey or tan beaks lack the characteristic

basal knob of the adults. Its long beak helps to

catch the prey.

Grawwa It has a long beak which helps it to catch the prey easily.

Buqrajq It has a short beak which helps when catching

moths and other large flying insects.

Qattus It has a short sharp beak to help catch the prey.

Gamiema tal-Kullar It a small and narrow beak which is a suitable for catching the prey.

Merill (not migratory) It has a long, slim bill which is suitable when

catching food.

Għasfur tal-Bejt (not

migratory) It has a stubby and powerful beak that comes in

handy when catching food.

Sponsun tas-Silġ It has a short beak that is suitable for feeding on seeds and for catching insects.

As you can see from this data, there is a continuous variation of beaks.

There are straight, curved, long, tiny, wide and narrow.

5 Type of Feathers

Maltese Name Structure of Feathers

Ċikonja Bajda It is completely white except for the black wing

flight feathers. The feathers cover its main body.

Fjamingu It has light pink, black and white fluffy feathers

which cover its main body.

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Ċinju It has long white fluffy feathers which cover its

whole body.

Grawwa It has long slate-grey feathers overall.

Buqrajq It has long light-brown feathers which cover its

whole body.

Qattus They have very feathery legs and toes which help

them to keep warm especially during the night. They also have long blackish tuffs resembling ears

which are covered with feathers.

Gamiema tal-Kullar Fine feathers on its main body. The feathers on the

upperside are bigger and more colourful than the

underside. The ones on the wings are taller for flight.

Merill (not

migratory) Tail feathers are black with slate-blue edges on

outer rectrices.

On the wings, the flight feathers are blackish with slate-blue edges, more or less extended. The adult

male in winter plumage shows duller plumage with

grey to sandy-buff edged feathers. Wings and tail

are darker, but with paler tips and edges. Since it

is a migratory bird it has many flight feathers which help it to keep warm.

Għasfur tal-Bejt (not

migratory) It has short and fluffy feathers all over its body.

Sponsun tas-Silġ It has white, long and fluffy feathers which covers

its body.

As you can see from this data, there is a continuous variation of feathers

such as broad, narrow, short and long.

Conclusion

In this project I tried to do some research about only ten migratory birds of Malta. I wanted to point out the different variations in only 5

characteristics, however, this small project shows that variations are

important for different lifestyles of the species. Different variations allow

for different exploitations of different habitats, acquisition of different foods, different forms of shelter and defence from predators, different

movements etc. . . The better adapted species will be better during

competition for food, shelter, mate, etc and therefore they will be able to

survive more. Natural selection is the gradual, non-random process by which biological

traits become either more or less common in a population as a function of

differential reproduction of their bearers. It is a key mechanism of

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evolution. The term "natural selection" was popularized by Charles

Darwin. Variation exists within all populations of organisms. This occurs partly

because random mutations cause changes in the genome of an individual

organism, and these mutations can be passed to offspring. Throughout

the individuals’ lives, their genomes interact with their environments to cause variations in traits. Individuals with certain variants of the trait may

survive and reproduce more than individuals with other variants.

Therefore the population evolves. Factors that affect reproductive success

are also important, an issue that Charles Darwin developed in his ideas on sexual selection, for example. Natural selection acts on the phenotype, or

the observable characteristics of an organism, but the genetic (heritable)

basis of any phenotype that gives a reproductive advantage will become

more common in a population. Over time, this process can result in

populations that specialize for particular ecological niches and may eventually result in the emergence of new species.

References

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darwin's_finches

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Darwin http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Voyage_of_the_Beagle

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_birds_of_Malta

http://www.birdinginmalta.com/

http://www.birdinginmalta.com/birdspecies.htm