dry heath ecosystem is flat with many tall grasses.
what ecosystem is flat with many tall grasses?
dry heath
throughout july and the first half of august, before laying their eggs, the birds are found foraging in maize fields. in the second half of august and early september, during the incubation period, the birds are seen alternating between the maize fields, grazed pastures and burnt grasslands. finally, in the nestling phase of september and october, they forge in maize fields, but more frequently in ploughed fields. it is only on rare occasions that ibises are seen in tall grasses and almost never in marshy areas. these birds avoid the tall grasses due to the hindering of their mobility and the potential hiding of their prey. this area would require a slow-walk feeding technique, whereas this bird is known to use a fast-walk technique for their feeding. they also appear to avoid foraging in areas very close to their nesting sites.
southern bald ibis
the movement and habitat utilisation patterns of an elephant population were studied in southern india during 1981–83 within a study area. the vegetation types of this area encompasses dry thorn forest at , deciduous forest at , stunted evergreen forest and grassland at . five different elephant clans, each consisting of between 50 and 200 individuals had home ranges of between and , which overlapped. they preferred habitat where water was available and food plants were palatable. during the dry months of january to april, they congregated at high densities of up to five individuals per km in river valleys where browse plants had a much higher protein content than the coarse tall grasses on hill slopes. with the onset of rains in may, they dispersed over a wider area at lower densities, largely into the tall grass forests, to feed on the fresh grasses, which then had a high protein value. during the second wet season from september to december, when the tall grasses became fibrous, they moved into lower elevation short grass open forests. the normal movement pattern could be upset during years of adverse environmental conditions. however, the movement pattern of elephants in this region has not basically changed for over a century, as inferred from descriptions recorded during the 19th century.
indian elephant