Zoology

Bird Adaptations
1. Types of feathers
2. Forelimb Modified into Wing
3. Modifications for Flight
4. Specialized Feet
5. Specialized Bills

Review
 What is one thing birds have that no other animal has?
 ______________
 What are modified bird forelimbs called?
 ______________
 Name 3 uses for bird hindlimbs.
 ______________________________________
 What do birds have in place of jaws and teeth and why?__________________
___________________________

What fossil was the link between reptiles and birds?
A______________ l_______________

Feathers
 Modified__________
 Used for________,
___________display &
__________________
 3 main types:
 _____________feathers
 _____________feathers
 _______________

Contour Feathers
 Cover__________________
 2 main types
 General_____________________
 Overall body__________
 Color for ___________or breeding _________
 ___________feathers
 _________-and ___________- long & strong feathers
 Needed to produce _________and for ________
&_________________________

Flight Feathers
 ___________ feathers or Rectrices
 Primaries
 Secondaries
 Tertiaries
 ___________ feathers or Remiges

Retrices (plural) Retrix (singular)

Remiges (plural)

Contour Feather Parts
 Calamus or_____________
 _______________
 ______________or blade

Contour Feather Structure
 Vanes made up of _____________ parts – why is this needed?
 ______________
 _______________
 _______________
 Barbicels are __________that hold the ______________ together
 Must be __________________to maintain _______________
 _________- or ___________ or
______ gland

__________ Feathers
 Lack stiff _________and
___________
 Short, fluffy and soft_______
 Found _________and betwe en
_________ feathers and on _________birds
 Function in __________ by trapping _______
 Birds like _______ and _________tend to have more down – Why?
 __________ Down
 Special type of down on _________birds –
_________________

Filoplumes
 Probably __________ feathers – still debated
 Other types
 Semiplumes
 Bristles

Feather_____________
 Why are females usually not as bright as males?

Why do some birds have
____________ plumaged sexes?

Why would some birds ______
________in the winter?
How do they change?

_____________
 Birds ______ feathers and grow new ones
 Most do it _______
 Some do it____________
 _________ or _________ Plumage
 _________colors, usually in __________
WHY?
 Basic or _________Plumage
 Usually fairly_____________
 Most birds molt _________a year

1.
_____________________
_____________________
_______
2.
_______reduction
 Bones are nearly
___________(pneumatic)
 ________, no
_______________etc.
3.
Large _______muscles that move the
__________
4.
__________________

________in a
Bird’s Wing
Leading edge
Trailing edge
Top

Birds vs. Airplanes
If a bird is just __________(or
“_________"), that is, not flapping its wings, it flies in pretty much the same way that an ________flies.
The wings push air________, so by
Newton's ________law the air must push them______. The push comes partly from the ______of the
______and partly from the__________ of the wings.
Swainson’s Hawk

___________Flight
The bird uses its strong _______to push its wings__________, pushing air_________, generating_____, and, if the wings are _________properly, also___________. The big problem then becomes not pushing air back ____________ when the bird moves its wings ____ for the ________stroke.

______vs. ______Wings
Birds have _______wings. On the__________, the wing is fully _________offering its full
________ ___for pushing air ____________.
On the__________, the wing_____ __, presenting less surface
_______.
Osprey ?

Bird Wings Can Move in Many Ways
Many can use their tails like a
_____for_____________.

Motionless Flight
 Hummingbirds' wings are pointed and swept back, and they _______ at the__________, not at the______, allowing the wing to be _______ ____ in midstroke, so that _________ motion cancels _______ motion and the bird remains
_______poised in the air to sip the ______of flowers.

Hummingbird flight
Black-chinned hummingbird

Hummingbird Facts
 How many times does a
♂ broad-tailed hummingbird's wings beat per SECOND?
 _______ times per second!
 How many heartbeats per minute?
 Their hearts beat at over ________ beats PER MINUTE.

______ ______ Can Help to Determine
What ____ of Bird You are Seeing
And what their ________ or
____________ is…

Wing Shapes

What does ______ mean?
Any species (dinosaur, bird etc.) that
_______ and _______ its prey with its
_________

Raptor
Silhouettes

Raptor Wings


Buteos – soaring wings
 Found in open country
Accipiters – maneuverable wings and long tail
 Found in forests
 Falcons – built for speed
 Found in the open or above the forest
 Vultures – soaring wings

Feet – Another Adaptation

SHAPE TYPE
Grasping
Scratching
Swimming
Perching
Running
Climbing
ADAPTATION
Raptors like Osprey use their large curved claws to snatch fish from the water.
Pheasants and other birds that scratch the soil for food have nail-like toes.
Ducks and other webbed lined swimming birds use their feet like paddles.
Robins have a long back toe, which lets them grab a perch tightly.
Many fast-running birds have three toes rather than four.
A woodpecker's hind toes enable it to climb without falling backward.

Bird Beaks – Another Adaptation

You Can Tell a Lot About a Bird’s
Niche by the Shape of the Bill

SHAPE TYPE ADAPTATION
Cracker
Shredder
Chisel
Probe
Strainer
Seed eaters like sparrows and cardinals have short, thick conical bills for cracking seed.
Birds of prey like hawks and owls have sharp, curved bills for tearing meat.
Woodpeckers have bills that are long and chisel-like for boring into wood to eat insects.
Hummingbird bills are long and slender for probing flowers for nectar.
Some ducks have long, flat bills that strain small plants and animals from the water.
Spear Birds like herons and kingfishers have spear-like bills adapted for fishing.
Tweezer
Insect eaters like warblers have thin, pointed bills.
Swiss Army
Knife
Crows have a multi-purpose bill that allows them to eat fruit, seeds, insects, fish, and other animals.

Bird Adaptations
 Types of __________
 Forelimb Modified into _______
 Modifications for_______
 Specialized ________
 Specialized_______