The great varieties of water-birds that exist are indicative of the rich biodiversity of avian fauna.
The taxonomists have put the water-birds into 10 groups. All birds associated with the sea have been put under marine birds.
The waders, a few type of gulls and Auks that nest on cliffs have been classified as Shorebirds. The ducks, geese, swans and screamers have been put in yet another category.
The Grebes and Loons have been classified separately with separate ‘orders’ of their own. The storks, herons, egrets, ibises and spoonbills have been put in a category. The Pelicans and Flamingos have put in two different categories.
The kingfishers and the terns have been given a class of their own. The Cattle Egret and the Herons both belong to the same category and are seen moving around without much threat to their lives.
The Plovers are shorebirds that are not hunted and have the freedom to move around near human habitats.
The ducks are however highly threatened because they are hunted for their meat. But the plight of the domestic ducks seems to be worse than their wild counter parts. They are crammed into cages and subjected to a lot of duress before being put out of their misery.
