Birds are a familiar sight in Sydney's bush, backyards, parks
and gardens. A diverse group, birds exhibit a range of
adaptations for all environments. Birds can fly, walk, run, swim
and dive. They occupy the air, oceans, fresh water, seashores,
rainforests, deserts and polar regions. They have extraordinary
colours and cryptic patterns that enable them to be well
camouflaged. Worldwide there are around 10,000 species of birds
of which over 700 occur in Australia. Birds are warm-blooded
vertebrates with feathers. This easily distinguishes them from
all other living animals. Other easily observed features
include: - forelimbs modified as wings - jaws lacking teeth and
with a horny cover - they walk on their two hindlimbs Although
birds cannot be mistaken for any other living group of animals,
the line between birds and non-birds is much less distinct if
fossil animals are examined. Many characteristics that
distinguish birds from other living vertebrates first arose in
certain groups of dinosaurs. For this reas