What Kind Of Birds Do Well In The Savannahs Of Africa?
The most successful birds in the tropical grasslands are omnivorous species that eat both plant and animal foods. Passerines are numerous and include larks, wagtails, finches, starlings and swallows. The grasslands are also home to some large ground dwelling birds such as bustards and ostriches. Herbivorous birds are scarce since fruit is in short supply because of the few trees that grow in grasslands. A few bird species do well that can survive on grasses and ripe grass seeds. In grasslands, the lack of trees makes nesting opportunities off the ground few and far between. The eggs and young of ground nesting bird are very vulnerable to both predators and to accidental trampling on by grazing animals. The chicks of savannah birds that nest on the ground have adapted to this by running away from the nest as soon as they are able to walk. Trees, when they do occur, are used for nesting and African trees usually house a colony of weaver birds.
