Air is the element of freedom and lightness. Life on Earth originated in water, and many species of animals have mastered land. However, only a few groups were able to take off. Only insects, birds, and bats feel confident in the air. Bats are an even younger group; their history does not exceed 55 million years. Birds and bats… These amazing lords of the sky are worthy of wonder and admiration. Children, and IDPs resting in the Orthodox Church of the Holy Trinity in the Bozhdos park in Uzhhorod, dug into the fascinating world of the winged inhabitants of our region and learned a lot of new and interesting stuff during the “Lords of the Sky” eco-walk, which took place August 5, and was conducted by Olga Velychkanych, head of the department of biology and research and experimental work of TRENCSY, and the expert of the IERS. The participants learned what features are characteristic of the class of Birds and the order of Bats, which species of birds and bats are found in Transcarpathia, the peculiarities of their behavior and habits, their role in nature and human life, and factors affecting the reduction of the number of certain species. They also received valuable advice on how to protect birds and help them, because, with the onset of autumn, some of them fly away, and some stay with us and need care.
Young researchers were interested to learn that feathers are the only thing in the entire animal world that only birds have. For example, bats; some fish, sea turtles, and even ancient platypus mammals have beaks or similar formations. No one has anything like feathers except birds. What concerns bats, the representatives of bats are the only mammals on the planet that can fly in the literal sense of the word, and in terms of their abilities, they even beat birds and some insects. These animals are so interesting and unusual that there is a special science for their study – chiropterology. Despite a large amount of research, scientists still cannot understand how and why these unusual beasts – lords of the night sky appeared.
Olga Velychkanych said that the wings of bats are the front limbs, the hands of which have greatly elongated fingers. Between the fingers and the body, there is an elastic membrane that can be stretched four times if necessary. Their wings are very flexible and surpass the wings of birds in these parameters. In addition, the process of flight in bats is more perfect than in birds, which allows you to reduce air resistance and perform maneuvers inaccessible to birds, such as, for example, a sharp 180º turn. Since most bats are active at night, they need to navigate in a space devoid of sunlight. To do this, they have echolocation at their disposal – a method of determining the position of the body using a reflected sound wave. Thanks to it, bats are able to fly in the dark and in spaces with a complex configuration of obstacles. According to these parameters, they also surpass the best nocturnal birds – owls.
Contrary to popular belief, not all bats are vampires that feed on the blood of warm-blooded animals, although many do have a rather creepy appearance. Moreover, only three species of bats from the Vampire subfamily feed on blood. The vast majority of the 1,200 species of bats are predators that feed on insects and other small animals. There are also harmless vegetarians among them: about 260 species of bats feed on fruits and other plant foods.
Bats are the most vulnerable group of mammals, because all species of our fauna are listed in the Red Book of Ukraine, and therefore require special attention. In memory of the event, children painted images of bats and created beautiful cards to remind people once again that these creatures are very cute and defenseless and need protection! In order to better remember the birds, primarily those who are living in Transcarpathia, the young conservationists solved the quiz and played the games “Wintering and Migratory Birds” and “Where’s the Beak?”. They were pleasantly surprised at how well they know birds!
The event was held in cooperation with the Transcarpathian Regional Ecological and Naturalist Center for Students Youth (TRENCSY) and the Interreligious and Environmental Civil Forum of Eastern Europe (IRCEF) (head by Alexander Bokotey) in cooperation with the German Nature Conservation Union (NABU Bundesverband NABU International ) under with the support of the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Auswärtiges Amt) project coordinators Ivan Tymofeiev (NABU), Nataliya Kulya (IRCEF),
Informational Service of IRCEF: Olga Velychkanych, Head of the Department of Biology and Research-Experimental Work of TRENCSY
