Wildlife in Temperate Forests
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The term ‘temperate forest’ is very broad. It covers the forests found between the tropical and subtropical regions and the barren, treeless lands of the far north and extreme south.
There are many types of temperate forests, but the main categories are: coniferous forests, mixed broadleaved/ coniferous forests; and broadleaved forests.Mediterranean forests
Within each of these categories there are many different subtypes of forest. The kind of forest that can grow depends on local soils, temperatures and rainfall. For example, in southern Europe, long hot summers encourage the growth of a special kind of vegetation called the Mediterranean scrublands. Although they rarely grow thickly enough to be called a true forest, the trees in the Mediterranean scrub lands include small oaks and pines. A characteristic tree of these lands is the cork-oak, which occurs naturally but is also planted for its valuable bark.
Overgrazing by sheep and goats has changed much of the once-forested areas of the Mediterranean into scrubland known as ‘maquis’. Mediterranean scrublands are rich in wildflowers and birds, especially insect-eating birds which are abundant in summer. One of the most spectacular birds found here is the azure-winged magpie.
