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A winter snow scene in Canada

Taiga

The taiga is the largest land habitat - a northern zone of coniferous forests, stretching right round the planet from western Alaska to eastern Siberia. In the winter the temperature can drop to as low as -50 degrees Celsius and the taiga is blanketed in snow. Many of the trees have to survive being partly buried in snowdrifts. In summer, the climate is much milder and many birds migrate to the taiga regions.

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Where you find Taiga

Map showing the location of the Taiga habitat

About Taiga

Taiga (pronounced /ˈtaɪɡə/; Russian: тайга́; IPA: [tɐjˈɡa]; from Turkic or Mongolian), also known as the boreal forest, is a biome characterized by coniferous forests.

Taiga is the world's largest terrestrial biome. In North America it covers most of inland Canada and Alaska as well as parts of the extreme northern continental United States and is known as the Northwoods. It also covers most of Sweden, Finland, much of Norway, much of Russia from St. Petersburg in the west to the Pacific ocean (including much of Siberia), northern Kazakhstan, northern Mongolia, and northern Japan (on the island of Hokkaidō).

The term "boreal forest" is sometimes, particularly in Canada, used to refer to the more southerly part of the biome, while the term taiga is often used to describe the more barren areas of the northernmost part of the taiga approaching the tree line.

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Behaviours

Useful behaviours for this habitat

Ecozones

Ecozones where this habitat is found

Habitats

Other Terrestrial habitats

Video collections

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