@SoVee 1 October 2021 more from that month

Ciconiiformes Most of the stork-like animals look similar to each other - with long legs, long neck and beak. They are distributed almost all over the world, with the exception of the coldest and driest areas. They feed mainly on aquatic animals (insects, fish and other vertebrates). 113 species are grouped into 5 families: herons, cetaceans, hammerheads, storks and ibises. The family of herons, distributed throughout the world, includes 62 species. In flight, they are easy to recognize by the bent neck. To care for the plumage of the heron, powder is used, secreted by powderlets -areas of continuously growing brittle fluff on the chest, upper tail and, less often, on the belly. This protects the plumage from getting wet. Herons search for food in shallow water or on the ground. They feed on small fish, amphibians, insects, crustaceans, tadpoles and rodents. They practice different hunting tactics. Many of them are hiding and tracking prey from ambush. Some species constantly move with a bent neck and a forward-pointing beak. When a suitable victim appears, they unbend their neck and bump the prey into the beak. Some herons use bait: they throw an insect into the water, and then catch the fish that have gathered on it. Diurnal herons usually nest in colonies, nocturnal herons nest in colonies or singly. Nests are built on trees or in near-water vegetation. The stork family includes large birds that stretch their long necks in flight. Of the 19 species, most live in the tropics. They nest singly or in colonies. The ibis family includes birds of medium and large size. They nest in colonies and live on all continents except Antarctica. There are 32 species in the family. The beak is either long, curved downwards (ibises), or straight, with a shovel-shaped extension to the conic (spoonbills). The characteristics of the cetacean and hammerhead families are given in the species sketches of their only representatives. #Birds