Birds, Birds, Birds

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Birds, Birds, Birds
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Features

• Feathers, some scales
• Warm blooded
• 4 chambered heart
• Very light skeleton
• Two chambered stomach (crop, gizzard)
• Toothless beak

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Some Amazing Bird Facts

• There are about 9,703 species of birds divided up
  into 23 orders, 142 families and 2,057 genera
  (Sibley and Monroe 1992).
• Birds can be found on all major land masses from
  the poles to the tropics as well as in or over
  all our seas and oceans and their accompanying
  islands.
• The total number of birds on the planet is very
  difficult to estimate because their populations
  fluctuate seasonally, but scientists have
  suggested that there may be between 100,000 and
  200,000 million adult or near adult birds on the
  planet at any one time. Of these the most common
  or populous wild bird in the world is the
  Red-billed Quelea (Quelea quelea) from south of
  the Sahara in Africa. These birds are so prolific
  that they are serious pests of grain and millions
  are killed at roost sites every year in a vain
  attempt to control their numbers.

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Name the most common bird
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The most common

• The most common bird in the world is the Red
  Junglefowl (Gallus gallus) most regularly seen as
  the common domestic chicken. The most widespread
  commonly seen wild bird in the world is probably
  the European House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)
  which has been transported all over the world by
  European settlers and can now be found on 2/3 of
  the land masses of the world including New
  Zealand, Australia, N. America, India and of
  course Europe.

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Name the largest bird
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The Largest

• There are 3 possible ways of measuring
  largest in birds heaviest, tallest and or
  longest wingspan, however, whatever way you
  choose, the records are all held by extinct
  species. The heaviest bird ever was probably the
  extinct Dromornis stirtoni from Australia. This
  flightless giant lived between 1 and 15 million
  years ago and probably stood nearly 3m/10ft tall
  and weighed in at a massive 500kg/1100lb. The
  tallest bird ever was, as far as we know,
  Dinornus maximus, a Giant Moa from New Zealand.
  This giant though only half as heavy as the
  Australian Dromornis stood an incredible
  3.7m/12.1ft tall. Another extinct bird, this time
  from S. America, has the record for largest
  flying bird and longest wingspan. The Giant
  Teratorn (Argentavis magnificens) had a wingspan
  of at least 6M/19.5ft and could possibly have
  been as large as 7.5m/25ft.

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Largest living bird

• The largest living bird is without doubt the
  Ostrich (Struthio camelus). This ever popular
  bird stands a magnificent 2.74m (9ft) high and
  can weigh as much as 160kg (353lb).
• The heaviest flying bird is the Kori Bustard of
  Africa (Ardeotis kori), a number of specimens
  have been scientifically recorded weighing 19kg
  (42lb) and heavier specimens have been reported
  but not confirmed. Close runner-ups are the
  Eurasian Bustard (Otis tarda) and the Mute Swan
  (Cygnus olor) both of which have been recorded at
  18kg or (40lb).

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• The title of 'Bird with the Longest Wings'
  also has several close contenders with the Andean
  Condor (Vultur gryphus) with a well recorded
  wingspan of 3m (10ft) and the Maribou Stork
  (Leptoptilus crumeniferous) with a know wing span
  2.87 m (9ft6ins) and an unconfirmed report of a
  specimen with a 4.06 m (13ft 4ins) are
  undoubtedly the longest winged birds on land.
  However real record holders are birds that live
  at sea. The Royal Albatross Diomedea epomophora
  has been regularly recorded with a wingspan of
  3.5 m (11ft 6ins). However the Wandering
  Albatross, (Diomedia exulans) which has a similar
  average wingspan holds the scientific record for
  wing length. A male caught and measured by the
  Antarctic research ship USNS Eltanin in the
  Tasman sea in 1965 had a wingspan of 3.63m (11 ft
  11 ins) and so holds the crown for having the
  longest officially recorded wings in a living
  bird.

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The Smallest

• The smallest bird in the world is generally
  agreed to be the Bee Hummingbird (Mellisuga
  helenae) from Cuba which weighs a mere 1.6g or
  0.056oz. Shortest wings and body length are not
  really appropriate measurements because they are
  disproportionately affected by whether or not the
  bird is flightless or not and its beak length
  respectively. Another major contender for
  smallest bird is the Little Woodstar (Acestrura
  bombus) from S. America. Both these tiny miracles
  of life fly very competently. The smallest
  flightless bird is the Inaccessible Island Rail
  (Altantisia rogersi). Reaching a mere
  12.5cm/5inches in length and weighing 35g/1.45oz
  this little beauty can only be found in the
  southern Atlantic Tristan da Cunha Islands.

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Nests and Eggs

• Largest Egg - living Ostrich Largest Egg -
  ever Elephant Bird Aepyornis maximus From
  Madagascar 39cm/15.4in long 12 litres/2.6
  gallons, 220 chicken eggs Smallest Egg - living
  Vervain Humming bird Mellisuga minima the
  size of pea Largest individual nest Mallee
  Fowl Australia Leipoa ocellata builds a mound 5 m
  (16.5ft) high and 11 metres (36ft) wide.
  Smallest nest - many seabirds do not make a nest
  at all, nest on ground or in case of fairy tern
  on a branch of a tree otherwise the award goes to
  the hummingbirds for their thimble sized (1cm
  squared) nests.

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Organs of digestion
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Feet
                                                                                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                                                         
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Skeleton
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The Bird Bill or Beak

• One of the most notable things about birds is
  their jaws and the fact that they have beaks
  properly called a bills.
• The bird's bill is a remarkably adaptable and
  useful instrument.
• Different shaped bills serve different ecological
  purposes and are a good indication as to the
  bird's feeding habits.

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Tongues

• Yes most birds have tongues though unlike ours a
  bird's tongue has 5 bones in it that support and
  strengthen it. In some birds however the tongue
  has become highly evolved.
• In some fish-eating birds such as Penguins the
  whole tongue is covered in backwardly pointing
  spikes which help in swallowing the fish. In
  other fish-eating birds such as Cormorants, the
  tongue has been almost completely reduced.
• In Woodpeckers the tongue has become greatly
  elongated and is stored deep in the birds skull
  when not extended. Woodpeckers' tongues also have
  a sharp pointed top to spear wood-boring insect
  larvae. The end of the tongue has backwardly
  directed barbs to help in drawing the food items
  out of their holes in the wood.
• Brush-tongued lories, as their name implies, have
  a tongue with a small brush at the tip. The brush
  is used to collect nectar form the various
  flowers which these birds visit. Other primarily
  nectar-feeding birds such as Hummingbirds,
  Sunbirds and Honeyeaters have evolved tubular
  tongues. These effectively give the bird a straw
  with which to suck up the nectar.
• Finally, in parrots the tongue has become thicker
  and more swollen - more like ours. This helps
  parrots to manipulate their food in their mouths,
  but it also makes it possible for them to make
  all the sounds that so endear them to us.

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Heart and Circulation

• The possession of four pulmonary veins, along
  with the fact that a bird's heart is generally
  larger and more muscular per pound (or kilogram)
  or body weight than ours, explains why a bird's
  circulatory system is more efficient than ours.
  The left ventricle in a bird's heart is by far
  the largest chamber and has to work exceptionally
  hard in small birds which have hovering flight
  such as humming birds.

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Feathers

• Feathers are one of the most prominent features
  of a bird's anatomy, and they are unique to
  birds. Every bird has feathers and everything
  that has feathers is a bird .
• Feathers perform a number of functions for a
  bird. Firstly, they provide insulation, this is
  very important in a warm blooded animal It is
  believed by most scientists that this insulating
  effect was the primary force driving the
  evolution of feathers, i.e. ancestral birds
  developed feathers to keep themselves warm.
  Feathers also protect birds from UV light.
• Secondly, feathers allow for flight. Scientists
  believe that flight evolved in birds as a result
  of their possessing basic feathers and that this
  added selective pressure to the evolution of
  feathers making them larger, stronger and
  refining their structure.
• Thirdly, feathers control what a bird looks like.
  Feathers supply the bird with colors allowing for
  camouflage and secondary sexual characteristics
  and sexual display. Consider the tail feathers of
  a peacock.

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Closer look at feathers

• Feathers have a basic form of a central
  hollow supporting shaft called a 'rachis' and a
  number of fine side branches. These side branches
  have even finer sub-branches in contour feathers.
  The side branches in these are called barbs and
  are linked together by a set of barbules and
  their hooklets sometimes called 'Hamuli'. Barbs
  have side branches of their own called barbules.
  The upper ones containing a series of hooklets
  and the lower ones without hooks but slightly
  convex in form to catch the hooklets of the
  barbules from the next barb along the shaft.

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Contour feathers

• The largest feathers are contour feathers.
  These give the bird its shape and color and
  include both the flight feathers, and the tail
  feathers.

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Scales Feathers

• Feathers evolved from reptilian scales, and in
  fact birds still possess scales in the lower
  parts of their legs and feet.
• Feathers grow quickly and are then sealed off at
  the base. Once fully developed a feather is a
  dead matter like your finger nails, though there
  are still muscles attached the base of each
  feather which can move each individual feather to
  help keep it in place. Feathers do not last for
  ever, they become worn and battered and are
  replaced regularly by the bird once or twice a
  year depending on species. This replacing of old
  feathers is called molt or molting.

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Down feathers

• The next most important feathers on a bird
  are the down feathers. These are smaller and lack
  the barbules and their accompanying hooklets, so
  they are not zipped together and do not look so
  neat. In fact hey are soft and fluffy. They
  provide most of the insulation and are so good at
  this that mankind for many years used to collect
  the 'down' from various birds to put into
  sleeping bags to help keep us warm at night. In
  down feathers the side branches are longer than
  the rachis.

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Semiplumes Filoplumes Bristles and Powder
feathers

• Semiplumes are half-way between a contour
  feather and a down feather. These occur between
  the contour feathers and help to supply
  insulation and a certain amount of form as well.

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Bristle

• Bristles have practically no barbs at all and
  are stiff. They occur around the eyes and mouths
  of some birds and are protective in function.
  They are particularly evident in the honey
  buzzard (Pernis apivorus) for instance, which
  feeds on the nests and young of social bees and
  wasps and needs protection around its beak from
  the stings of the adult bees and wasps.

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Filoplume

• Filoplumes have only a very few barbs at
  their tips and are believed to have a sensory
  function, helping birds keep their feathers in
  order.

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Powder feathers

• The fourth main types of feathers are Powder
  Feathers. These are unusual in that they grow
  continuously and that they disintegrate at the
  tip. The barbs breaking down into a fine powder
  in Herons is useful in mopping up the slime and
  dust that gets on their fronts during feeding.
  Thus they help keep the plumage clean. Powder
  feathers occur scattered throughout the plumage
  of most birds, but their function is not well
  understood.

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Breathing in Birds

• Air is breathed in through two nostrils situated
  at the base of the bill This air enters the
  'trachea' then passes down the throat until it
  reaches the syrinx (a bird's vocal chords). Here
  the trachea divides into two 'bronchi' before
  passing through the lungs. This freshly inhaled
  air goes first, not to the lungs, but to the
  abdominal air sacs. These are the largest and
  most important of a bird's air sacs. Some of this
  inhaled air goes to the posterior air sacs also.

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Bird Brain

• A bird's brain is different to a mammalian
  brain in that the complex folds found in the
  cerebral cortex of mammals are missing and the
  cerebral cortex itself is much smaller
  proportionally than in mammals. Instead the
  corpora striata is the portion of a bird's brain
  which is used to control instinctive behavior -
  feeding, flying, reproduction etc. The mid-brain
  is also well developed as this is the part of the
  brain primarily concerned with sight, while the
  olfactory lobes are reduced as would be expected
  given that bird's in general have little use of
  the sense of smell.

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The Avian Eye and Vision

• A bird's eye is very similar in its basic
  structure to a human eye.
• The eyes make up a much larger percentage of the
  weight of the head in birds than in man-15 for a
  common Starling but only 1 for man.
• A bird's eye is very tightly fitted into its
  skull and it is capable of very little movement,
  therefore birds can often be seen moving their
  heads in order to change their visual
  relationship to something. In most birds the eyes
  are placed much nearer the sides of the head than
  in humans. This gives the bird a greater overall
  field of view, but greatly reduces its binocular
  vision (the area in which both eyes can see an
  object).
• In man, binocular vision is about 140 degrees out
  of a total of about 180 degrees. In a pigeon
  though the binocular area is only 20-30 degrees
  out of a total field of vision of 300-340
  degrees. In many raptors and owls the situation
  is different. In these birds, as in many
  insectivorous birds, binocular vision, important
  in making judgements of distance, is more
  necessary and so these birds have their eyes more
  towards the front of their heads. This is most
  evident in owls where the total field of view is
  reduced to about 110 degrees with a binocular
  vision of 70 degrees. This is why owls turn their
  heads to watch you walk past. An owl can turn its
  head through over 200 degrees but cannot move its
  eyes in its head at all.

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Hearing and the Bird Ear

• Some birds have hearing much more sensitive
  than ours. Owls not only are more sensitive to
  small sounds but have asymmetrical ears (one ear
  being lower on the skull than the other) this
  means sounds from a single source reach the ears
  at slightly different times. This gives the owl
  the equivalent of binocular hearing, allowing
  them to pinpoint the source of a sound extremely
  accurately. Barn Owls, Tyto alba, can locate and
  catch small mammals in complete darkness using
  only their hearing. Finally, a number of species
  of owls have tufts of feathers which look like
  ears and give rise to names like 'Long Eared Owl'
  and 'Short Eared Owl'. These 'ears' are not ears
  at all, however, and have nothing to do with
  hearing.

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The Sense of Smell and Bird Noses

• Whether birds have a sense of smell or not has
  been a much debated question by ornithologists.
  Modern data based on experiments and anatomy of
  both the nasal cavities and the olfactory lobes
  of the brain suggest that most birds have
  practically no sense of smell.
• The exceptions are Kiwis which have poor eyesight
  and hunt worms using their sense of smell.
  Several species of tubenoses which can detect the
  smells of fish oils floating on the surface of
  the sea, allowing them to find schools of fish or
  anchovies because their messy feeding causes an
  oily scum to form on the surface of the sea. The
  third group of birds definitely known to use
  smell to locate food are the vultures - both old
  world and new world species have been shown to
  find carcasses by smell to varying degrees. Other
  groups of birds with well developed olfactory
  lobes, but for which the actual evidence of the
  use of smell to locate prey is lacking, include
  various waders, many water birds, nightjars and
  swifts.