Term
| Are birds endotherms or ectotherms? |
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Definition
| endotherms! they can live in colder climates |
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Term
| What are 5 characteristics of birds in terms of uniformity of structure? |
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Definition
all have feathers
forelimbs are modified as wings (not all for flight)
hindlimbs are adapted for walking, swimming or perching
have hard, keratinized beaks
Lay eggs |
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Term
Requirements for proper functioning due to metabolic costs associated with flight:
aka why do birds have this uniformity? what do they need to fly? |
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Definition
wings are for support and propulsion
bones have to be light but provide a rigid frame
respiratory system must meet high oxygen demand of the body
digestion and circulation must meet high-energy demands
sensory systems must be adapted for high-velocity flight |
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Term
| are birds more similar to reptiles or mammals? how do they compare? |
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Definition
reptiles!
- skulls joint the neck vertebra by a single occipital condyle
- single middle ear bone
- excrete nitrogenous waste as uric acid (while mammals excrete urea)
- lay yolked eggs and have similar embryonic development
- have nucleated red blood cells
- scales on legs are similar to those of reptiles |
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Term
| Which reptiles led to birds? This one starts with T |
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Definition
| theropods - a diverse group of dinosaurs that had many specialized skeletal features as birds. They were ground dwelling so they probably used their feathers as insulation to stay warm |
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Term
| What reptile lead to birds? This one starts with D |
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Definition
Dromaeosaur
- ground-dwelling dinosaurs with feathers for insulation
- furcula
- wrist bones that permitted swivelling motions during flight |
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Term
| Archaeopteryx lithographica |
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Definition
-fossil found in 1861
-crow-sized, bipedal with reptilian teeth and bird-like skull
- had feathers on their wings, tail and maybe on the body
- claws like perching birds
- capable of weak flight but couldnt fully take off the ground |
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Term
| what are feathers made of? |
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Definition
| keratin! they are long lasting and resistant to attack by microbes |
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Term
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Definition
flight feathers and most of the body feathers
- ex: down feathers which provide insulation
- have a hollow quill aka calamus that emerges from a skin follicle
- have a shaft (rachis) and numerous barbs |
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Term
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Definition
| hair-like feathers with a weak shaft and tuft of short barbs |
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Term
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Definition
rare
disintegrate and relesea talc-like powder to waterproof their feathers |
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Term
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Definition
| light, delicate and air-filled bones with internal struts (supports) to maximize strength and minimize weight |
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Term
| what is a nasofrontal hinge? |
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Definition
describes the upper jaw being hinged to the skull
most birds have kinetic skulls |
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Term
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Definition
| it is a process that comes from each rib bone to provide rigidity for flight |
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Term
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Definition
| a projection of the sternum which provides a spot for wing muscles to attach and to get appropriate leverage for flight |
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Term
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Definition
a wishbone!!
- developed by fusion of clavicle bones
- it is elastic and stores energy as it flexes during wing beats |
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Term
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Definition
fusion of tail bones
balances weight and improves balance |
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Term
| Describe the pathway of food |
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Definition
| mouth(pharynx) --> muscular esophagus --> stomach |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
| What are the two parts of a birds stomach and what do they do? |
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Definition
1. The proventriculus secretes gastric fluids
2. The gizzard grinds food |
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Term
| In large plant-eating birds what serve as fermentation chambers? |
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Definition
| paired ceca at the junction of the intestine and the rectum |
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Term
| What does the cloaca receive? |
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Definition
intestinal contents
products from the genital ducts and ureters |
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Term
| How many chambers does their heart have? |
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Definition
4!
It completely separates pulmonary and systemic circulations
It is large and strong |
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Term
Where does the right ventricle pump blood?
Where does the left ventricle pump blood? |
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Definition
to the lungs
to the rest of the body |
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Term
| What is the risk of having a super efficient system? |
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Definition
| their blood pressure is really high and birds often die of heart attack or aortic rupture when stressed |
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Term
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Definition
| tube-like fine branches in the lungs |
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Term
| What is the function of air sacs and where are they found? |
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Definition
| there are 6-12 of them They store air and ensure a continuous frresh flow through the lungs. They extend into the thorax, abdomen and long bones |
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Term
| How many respiratory cycles does it take for a single breath of air to pass through the system? |
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Definition
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Term
| What do birds use for excretion? |
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Definition
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Term
| where does urine flow through? |
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Definition
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Term
| Because avian kidneys aren't great at concentrating and removing sodium, what do some marine birds have? |
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Definition
salt glands (located above each eye) that can excrete highly concentrated solutions of sodium chloride
* funny fact... the salt solution runs out the internal or external nostrils giving the bird a perpetual runny nose. poor guys |
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Term
| What do birds have that is more critical than a cerebral cortex? |
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Definition
| Their cerebral cortex is thin and poorly developed. Their hyperpallium is critical for function |
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Term
| Describe the cerebellum and what it's function is |
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Definition
It is enlarged in birds and it is where
- muscle-position sense (proprioception)
- equilibrium sense
- visual cues
are assembled |
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Term
| What structure do birds have that is comparative to the mammal's visual cortex? |
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Definition
| optic lobes which form a visual association apparatus |
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Term
| What are the two main flight muscle groups? |
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Definition
| Pectoralis and supracoracoideus |
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Term
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Definition
| attached to the keel, responsible for downstroke |
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Term
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Definition
| Attached to the keel, lying under the pectoralis, responsible for the upstroke (aka recovery stroke) |
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Term
| Having both muscle types low int he body provides aerodynamic stability, but what is the consequence and how do birds deal with it? |
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Definition
it complicates the upstroke
they have a supracoracoideus tendon which runs through the triosseal canal to the upper side of the humereus |
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Term
| What are the two forces required for flapping flight? |
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Definition
a vertical LIFTing force to support the bird's weight
horizontal THRUSTing force to move bird against the resistive forces of friction |
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Term
Which feathers provide thrust?
which feathers provide lift? |
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Definition
- primary feathers at the tip of the wings
- secondary feathers |
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Term
| How is most lift generated? |
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Definition
| By negative pressure - the airstream flows a long distance and quickly over the top of the wing.... demonstration with the piece of paper |
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Term
| _____ (lift or thrust) increases with angle of attack. |
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Definition
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Term
What increases the risk of stalling?
How can birds reduce stalling? |
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Definition
As lift and angle of attack increase, so does drag. If the angle is greater than 15 percent the bird may stall
- they have wing slots (from the alula which are small feathers on the thumb and from slotting between the primary feathers) |
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Term
| Power to get into the air and stay there must be sufficient to overcome what? (2) |
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Definition
| mass (using lift) and drag (using thrust) |
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Term
| for larger birds, how do they get extra lift at the beginning of flight? |
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Definition
get a runing start or leap from an elevated perch
extra speed=extra lift |
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Term
Lift and thrust depend on wing shape which are ___D.
Mass is ___D.
(choose 2 or 3) |
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Definition
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Term
| What is the general max weight for a bird that can achieve powered flight? |
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Definition
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Term
| What happens to the male's testes during breeding season? |
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Definition
| they enlarge up to 300 times their size |
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Term
| How does mating occur in birds? |
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Definition
| they bring their cloacal surfaces together |
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Term
| What happens to female birds' ovaries? |
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Definition
| they usually lose the right (and the right oviduct) |
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Term
| Where does fertilization occur? |
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Definition
| eggs are picked up by the infundibulum and get fertilized there |
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Term
| As the egg passes down the oviduct what gets added to it? |
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Definition
- special glands add albumin (egg white) to it
- the shell membrane gets added in the isthmus
- shell
- and shell pigments (in the uterus) |
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Term
| Monogamy and it's advantages |
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Definition
only have one mate, either seasonally or for life --> 91%
A lot of the males are unfaithful though... so it is called social monogamy
- boyh male and female can feed the young |
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Term
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Definition
| highly dependent young - need more care than one parent can provide |
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Term
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Definition
| offspring that do not require as much parental care |
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Term
| Polygamy is mating with multiple partners in the same season. What are the 2 types? |
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Definition
1. Polygyny - one male mates with many females and may or may not help them rear young
2. Polyandry - one female mates and lays clutches with multiple males, who rear young on their own |
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Term
| For promiscuous birds, does the female usually raise precocial or altricial young? |
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Definition
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Term
|
Definition
| a flat, webbed surface on either side of the rachis |
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Term
| What is the central axis of a barb called? |
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Definition
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Term
| What are the parallel filaments of a barb called? |
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Definition
|
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Term
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Definition
| hooks that connect barbules from two neighboring barbules |
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