How is a Songbird an indicator species?

Any living organism that is used in such a manner to measure environmental conditions is called an indicator species. Perhaps the best known example is the proverbial “canary in a coal mine. read more

One major division of birds is Passerines. Passerines are sometimes mis-named as Songbirds - because most of them are but some are not. read more

Half of all identified bird species are passerines, so you're looking at a very long list. There are over 5 thousand described songbird species and several new ones are described every year. The genus that gives the order its name, Passer, is the true sparrows. read more

In some species, young individuals float freely as plankton while mature members are fixed on the seafloor. This is an effective strategy because A. different phases do not compete for food. read more