What Are All the Places a Bird Lives?

Continents

• Birds are found on every continent on Earth. In the Antarctic region for instance, some 19 species of seabirds, from petrels to terns, breed on the Antarctic continent each year, as noted by the Antarctic Connection website, while penguins also nest in the region. From one extreme to another, many species of bird inhabit the tropical rain forests of South America. These include toucans, brightly-colored birds which use their beaks to collect fruit, and the brown kiwi, a form of flightless bird.

Types of Terrain

• Birds live across a range of different terrain types. Gray partridges and citril finches, for example, make their home in the alpine zones found at the top of mountain ranges such as the Pyrenees, and snow finches survive at altitudes of over 6,500 feet above sea level. Many other birds live in less extreme terrain, making their homes in woodlands, city parks and orchards. Birds don't have to live in an area which is full of trees, either; species of bird such as the kestrel are adept at finding food in open terrain such as meadows and shorelines.

Where Birds Nest

• When preparing for the arrival of young, birds build nests for their newborns to live in. Types of nests and the places they are built are numerous. For example, a rook will build its nest in a bare tree, in a garden or even by the roadside. A horned lark, on the other hand, will build its nests above rocks to take advantage of the shade, which helps protect the nest from predators. Forms of nest include platform nests, which can be constructed in trees or on top of debris floating in ponds or streams, while species of birds which make their homes in open areas build ground-based nests.

Domesticated Birds

• When kept as pets, many birds can live inside people's homes or in outside areas. Inside of a house, birds such as canaries live in cages made of wire, which contain perches, feeding stations and toys to play with. Cages are typically covered with cloth at night to help birds to sleep. Birds kept outside are housed in aviaries. A large number of species of bird can be stored in an aviary, including finches, doves and waxbills. Attention must be paid to the amount of space birds have, and the number stored together.