I like the word swamp. To me, it's evocative and romantic, like the word jungle or archipelago.

A swamp is a mysterious, maze-like place, full of strange creatures and unknown dangers.

What comes to your mind when you hear the word swamp?

For some people, a swamp is just a muddy, smelly place

crawling with snakes and humming with clouds of mosquitoes. I won't deny that this is an accurate

description of at least some swamps. Then we have bogs, bayous, fens, and marshes. Are these just

different words to describe the same sort of place?

What's the famous line from Romeo and Juliet? Something like,

What's in a name? That which we call a swamp by any other name would smell just as fetid.

In fact, there are real significant differences between swamps,

bogs, fens, marshes, and the like. Differences that biologists and ecologists have sorted out

over many decades of research. What we're talking about here are wetlands. A bog is one type of wetland, a swamp is another type of

wetland, and so on. Wetlands of all kinds and all sizes are scattered across the planet. They're on

every continent, from the polar regions to the equator. And wetlands are among the world's

most biologically diverse ecosystems. So, not surprisingly, wetlands are among the world's most biologically diverse ecosystems.

So, not surprisingly, wetlands tend to be jam-packed with birds.

Sometimes they're practically overflowing with birds.

Thousands of bird species depend on wetland habitats for at least part of their yearly cycle.

Waterfowl, shore birds, wading birds,

grebes, flamingos, cranes, loons, raptors, kingfishers, and songbirds are some types of birds

commonly found in wetlands. This ecosystem provides birds with vital resources like food and shelter,

and birds themselves are often key players in the old circle of life in a wetland.

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