Term
| Why birds need to feed frequently |
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Definition
| Very high metabolic rate. (20 to 30 times as high as similary sized reptiles). |
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Term
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Definition
| Locomotion, bill design, and the digestive system. |
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Term
| Reason for Beak Shape Diversity |
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Definition
| Bills are evolutionarily extremely modifiable, allowing beaks to become specialized. |
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Term
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Definition
| Probing, pulling snails out of shells, reaching for fruit, scooping, flipping rocks, sipping nectar. |
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Term
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Definition
| Upper mandible, culmen (top ridge), lower mandible, gonys (bottom ridge), nostril, rictus (hinge). |
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Term
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Definition
| Horny sheath that covers upper and lower mandible. |
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Term
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Definition
| Bony struts that reinforce hollow bill. |
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Term
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Definition
| Birds (i.e. parrots) can raise upper mandible in addition to lowering lower mandible, shared with some reptiles. |
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Term
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Definition
| Allows upper mandible to be lifted up. |
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Term
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Definition
| Dorsal ridge bends at base further lifting upper mandible (American woodcock). |
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Term
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Definition
| Flap covers nostril, Northern Gannet. |
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Term
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Definition
| Controls tongue movement, goes from mouth, around back of skull, forward to nostril space. |
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Term
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Definition
| Opening in mouth that leads to airway into lungs. |
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Term
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Definition
| Not very sensitive, except in parrots, not muscular, adapted for sucking nectar, holding fish, straining food, eating fruit. |
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Term
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Definition
| In Lories, rough patches on tongue to lap up pollen. |
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Term
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Definition
| Used for lubrication, moistening mud for nests. |
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Term
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Definition
| Egyptian Vulture beak used to lift rocks and drop them on ostrich eggs. Woodpecker Finch uses stick to probe bark. |
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Term
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Definition
| Change in physical characteristic due to competition (i.e. for seeds). Geospiza fortis and fuliginosa. |
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Term
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Definition
| Controls eye and muscle coordination. |
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Term
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Definition
| Similar to mammal brain with enlarged optic lobe. |
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Term
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Definition
| Portions of the brain that are more developed in birds |
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Term
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Definition
| Can be removed with no visible impact. |
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Term
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Definition
| Higher level thinking/problem solving. |
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Term
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Definition
| Memory, higher level thinking. |
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Term
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Definition
| Humans - 5% of skull, birds - 25-50% |
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Term
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Definition
| Tubular, gives birds greater telescopic vision. |
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Term
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Definition
| Bony structure, holds eye in relatively fixed position. |
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Term
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Definition
| Like a second eyelid, horizontal, blinks less often. |
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Term
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Definition
| Muscles in birds that control pupil size. |
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Term
| Bruck's and Crampton's Muscles |
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Definition
| Change shape of lens and cornea. |
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Term
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Definition
| Structure unique to birds, unknown function. |
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Term
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Definition
| Part of retina that gives best image, 1 or 2 in birds. |
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Term
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Definition
| Inner eye membrane, light sensitive. |
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Term
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Definition
| Middle eye membrane, contains blood vessels, tapetum (eye shine). |
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Term
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Definition
| Important for seeing at night. |
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Term
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Definition
| Structure in photoreceptor cells unique to birds, may enhance visual, may be connected to UV. |
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Term
| Double Cone Photoreceptor |
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Definition
| Unique to birds, larger range of colors (5). |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| Vision from both eyes combined. |
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Term
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Definition
| Woodcocks able to see behind them while looking forward. |
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Term
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Definition
| Semicircular canals, columella, cochlea. |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| Asymmetrical, under eyes. Right side higher. |
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Term
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Definition
| Smelling, most birds can't except for turkey vultures and petrels. |
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Term
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Definition
| Cloud signals sea birds to presence of zoo/phytoplankton. |
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Term
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Definition
| Refers to the metabolic rate in a resting, non-stressful, thermoneutral situation. |
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Term
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Definition
| Essential for evaporative cooling, rapidly depleted in birds. |
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Term
| Metabolic Rate - Body Mass relationship |
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Definition
| P met = Metabolic Power / Mass (kg) |
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Term
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Definition
| Lower BMR due to body surface area - body volume relationship, lose less heat. |
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Term
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Definition
| Relationships between physiological processes and body mass. |
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Term
| Surface Area/Volume Ratio |
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Definition
| Surface area = x^2, volume = x^3, volume increases faster than surface area. |
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Term
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Definition
| Usually related to body size. |
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Term
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Definition
| Regulated, constant internal body temperature. |
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Term
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Definition
| Ability to arouse quickly, maintain high levels of activity regardless of envir. temps, more time for food gathering, better at escaping predators, greater endurance. |
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Term
| Disadvantage of Endothermy |
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Definition
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Term
| Internal Body Temp of Birds |
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Definition
| Usually 40 C, 45 C in hummingbirds, 46 C denatures proteins. |
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Term
| Maintenance of Body Temp. |
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Definition
| Relationship between internal heat production, ambient temp., amount of insulation, wind speed. |
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Term
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Definition
| Mostly provided by down feathers, cold climate birds have more down. |
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Term
| Dark Feather Pigmentation |
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Definition
| Can increase heat absorption from environment, roadrunners. |
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Term
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Definition
| Gulls in winter unaffected by walking on ice as cold as 30 C, but if acclimated to warm laboratory conditions, their feet will freeze. Use of fatty acids vs. carbohydrates. |
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Term
| Counter-current Exchange System |
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Definition
| Cold veinous blood absorbs heat, arterial blood transmits warm oxygenated blood to extremities. |
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Term
| Passively Dissipating Heat |
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Definition
| Birds have body temps > envir. temp, heat is lost passively. |
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Term
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Definition
| Gular fluttering, heat loss through wattles and bare skin patches, defecating on legs. |
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Term
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Definition
| 20-30 times BMR, mammals only 5-6 times. |
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Term
| Active Metabolic Rate Differences |
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Definition
| Smaller body = lower AMR, passerines higher than non-passerines. |
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Term
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Definition
| 2 to 25 times BMR, 100 times less energy than running (air has less friction). |
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Term
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Definition
| Body temp. lowered to 6 to 32 C, exclusive to smaller organisms. |
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Term
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Definition
| Nostrils (most birds breathe through them), tracheal system, lungs, and air sacs. |
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Term
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Definition
| Birds replaces nearly 100% of air in lungs, humans retain 20% dead air, birds more efficient oxygen gatherers. |
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Term
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Definition
| Relatively small and compact, more dense, more complicated bronchial and tracheal tubes, 6 paired and 1 unpaired sacs. |
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Term
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Definition
| Two inhales and two exhales. |
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Term
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Definition
| Inhaled and exhaled air move through circuitous path, waste and fresh air not mixed. More efficient. |
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Term
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Definition
| Incoming air goes to abdominal air sacs, then to lung (oxygen removed), then to anterior air sacs, then exhaled. |
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Term
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Definition
| Hummingbird - 143 breaths/minute, Turkey - 7 breaths/minute. |
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Term
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Definition
| Does not occur in birds, allows birds to survive at high altitudes. |
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Term
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Definition
| High metabolic rate demands high volumes of blood circulation, birds have double circulatory system, 4 chambered heart. |
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Term
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Definition
| Increased in birds, result of more muscular ventricle, better nervous coordination of heartbeat. |
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Term
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Definition
| Large proportion goes to legs for heat dissipation rather than to brain, higher blood pressure from increased heart rate, less flexible arteries. |
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Term
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Definition
| Must get rid of toxic nitrogenous wastes without using water (excrete uric acid rather than urea). |
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Term
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Definition
| Urea would dissolve yolk, uric acid just accumulates until hatching. |
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