The document discusses several bird species found in the Wadden Sea region. It begins by describing how the unique birds of the Wadden Sea are vital to the local ecosystem and attract tourists, supporting conservation efforts. It then provides details on the starling, including its social behaviors, varied habitats and diets, complex vocalizations, and brightly colored plumage derived from feather structure rather than pigments. Details are also given about the buzzard, describing its size, range, diet of small mammals and ability to adapt, and mating displays. The redshank is also outlined, noting the differences between the spotted and common varieties and how they feed by wading and plunging their beaks into water.

1. Wings of the Wadden Sea
Throughout the Wadden Sea there are dozens of species of amazingly
unique birds each with a significant value to the local ecosystem. The
fascinating characteristics of these birds draw ornathologists and
hobbyists from across globe spurring the local tourism industry and
burgeoning conservation efforts. It can be said that the Wadden Sea’ fate
is then both symbolically and intrinsically tied to that of it’s birds.

3. Starlings
• Starlings have strong feet, their flight is strong and direct, and they are
very gregarious.
• Their preferred habitat is fairly open country, and they eat insects
and fruit
• Several species live around human habitation
• Many species search for prey such as grubs by "open-bill probing", that
is, forcefully opening the bill after inserting it into a crevice, thus
expanding the hole and exposing the prey.
• Plumage of many species is typically dark with a metallic sheen. Most
species nest in holes, laying blue or white eggs.

5. The starlings sounds
• Starlings have diverse and complex vocalizations, and have
been known to embed sounds from their surroundings into
their own calls, including car alarms, and human speech
patterns. The birds can recognize particular individuals by
their calls, and are currently the subject of research into the
evolution of human language.

7. Starlings colour and habitat
• The plumage of the starlings is often brightly coloured due to iridescence this
colour is derived from the structure of the feathers, not from any pigment
• The starlings inhabit a wide range of habitats from the Arctic Circle to
the Equator, in fact the only habitat they do not typically occupy is the driest
sandy deserts.
• The European Starling is highly widespread in its habitat, occupying most types
of open habitat. Like many other starling species it has also adapted readily to
human-modified habitat, including farmland, orchards, plantations and urban
areas

9. The starlings behaviour
• The starlings are generally a highly social family. Most species associate in
flocks of varying sizes throughout the year. A flock of starlings is called
a murmuration. These flocks may include other species of starlings and
sometimes species from other families. This sociality is particularly evident in
the their roosting behaviour; in the non-breeding season some roosts can
number in the thousands of birds.
• The diets of the starlings are usually dominated by fruits and insects.
• Starlings have been observed feeding on fermenting over-ripe fruit, which led to
the speculation that they might become intoxicated by the alcohol.

11. The Buzzard
• A medium-to-large bird of prey, whose range covers most of Europe and
extends into Asia.
• usually resident year-round,
• a 109–136 cm (43–54 in) wingspan and a body mass of 427–1,364 g (0.941–
3.007 lb), making it a medium-sized raptor
• pure white to black, but is usually shades of brown, with a pale 'necklace' of
feathers.
• The Common Buzzard breeds in woodlands, usually on the fringes, but favours
hunting over open land. It eats mainly small mammals,
• it adapts well to a varied diet of pheasant, rabbit, other small mammals to
medium mammals, snakes and lizards, and can often be seen walking over
recently ploughed fields looking for worms and insects.

13. The Buzzards behaviour
• Buzzards do not normally form flocks, but several may be seen together
on migration or in good habitat
• Pairs mate for life.
• To attract a mate (or impress his existing mate) the male performs a ritual aerial
display before the beginning of spring.
• The call is a plaintive peea-ay, similar to a cat's meow

15. The Redshank
• The redshank is most commonly found in two varieties the Spotted Redshank
and the Common Redshank.
• These two breeds are easily distinguishable from one another during breeding
the season of the spring months when the Spotted Redshank dawns a dark
black plumage of feathers to attract potential mates whereas the Common
Redshank does not. However, in wintertime when the Spotted Redshank has a
pale plumage it looks almost identical to the Common Redshank.

17. Redshank Peculiarities
• The Redshank is well known for its loud and somewhat obnoxious piping call
often scaring other birds away and making them quite easy to spot
• The Redshank feeds by wading through shallow estuaries and muddy costal
rivers and plunging it’s sharp beak into the water to reap Hydrophobia
sp., Corophium sp. and nereid worms.