Bird Basics
BIRDS
Taxonomy and Characteristics
Bird Taxonomy
 Kingdom – Animalia
 Phylum – Chordata
 Class – Aves
 Order ~ 45
 Family ~ 235
 Genus ~ 2,340
 Species ~ 10,000
Crested screamers
– 489 in Washington
state
Great blue heron
Bird Taxonomy
• Approx. 10,000 species (currently
existing)
• Class Aves (includes several extinct
lineages, including Archaeopteryx;
modern birds – subclass Neornithes –
are the only existing members of this
class)
• Orders (45) are divided into two major
superorders (Paleognaths and
Neognaths)
• Bird taxonomy is highly contentious –
ongoing disagreement about
classification of orders and relationships
among orders
Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Subclass
Superorder
Order
Superfamily
Family
Genus
Species
Barred owl
Bird Taxonomy
• Paleognaths – 5 orders: ratites (flightless
birds) and tinamous (South American)
• Neognaths – 40 orders:
Black-capped chickadee
– Passerines (perching birds or songbirds) =
one order with 60% of all bird species
– Non-passerines include many different groups
of orders:
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•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
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Waterfowl/gamebirds
Seabirds
Shorebirds
Birds of prey, falcons, owls, vultures
Flamingos
Doves and pigeons
Hummingbirds
Hornbills
Woodpeckers
et cetera!
Turkey vulture
Eastern rosella
Evolutionary History
150-200 million years ago (mya):
Birds arose from reptilian (dinosaur)
ancestors
 Bird feathers and scales similar to reptile scales
 Similarities in reptile and bird bone structure
(middle ear bone, jaw, ankle), circulatory systems,
urogenital and reproductive systems: different from
mammals
 Bird eggs similar to reptile eggs
 Archaeopteryx (discovered in 1861): intermediate
between reptiles and birds
– Bird-like pelvis, legs, feathers, furcula (wishbone), 4
toes (3 digits forward,1 back)
– Reptile-like tail, small teeth, abdominal ribs,
short and stout wing and leg bones, sternum with no
keel (where flight muscles attach)
Archaeopteryx fossil
Evolutionary History
65-150 mya: Greatest diversity of dinosaurs,
angiosperms (flowering plants) appeared
– food supply/coevolution for birds
65 mya: Mass extinction of most dinosaurs and toothed
birds
37-65 mya: Great radiation and evolution of birds
1.5 mya: climatic instability
– bird species declined from 21,000 to 10,000
1500s to present day: 133 - 151 species extinct
– primarily due to habitat destruction and over-hunting
Future: 12% of all bird species (1,227 of 9,865 species)
threatened with extinction according to IUCN (2009)
Bird Characteristics
• Feathers
• Endothermic
• Eggs with hard shell
• Lack of teeth, bony
beak
• Pneumatic bones
• Excellent vision and
hearing, poor sense
of smell
Adaptations for Flight
• Low body weight
• Streamlined form
• Wing shape provides lift
• Specialized respiration and
circulation
• Efficient metabolism
• Furcula and keeled sternum
• High body temperature
• Rapid digestion, constant
elimination of waste
• Major development of brain
Importance of Feathers
• Modified reptilian scales
• More effective for flight
than patagium
• Conserve body heat
• Help “waterproof” birds
• Aid in courtship or
camouflage displays
Snowy owls
Humboldt penguins
Importance of Feathers
Malayan great argus pheasant
Bald eagle
Two Main Types of Feathers
Great horned owl feathers
Contour feather
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Vane or blade
Rachis
Barb
Afterfeather or aftershaft
Calamus (hollow shaft)
Down feather
BIRDS
Behavior and Reproduction
Breeding
Peacock pheasant
Songs and Calls
American robins
Colonies
King penguins
Mating Systems
• Monogamy—over 90 percent of birds
• Polygamy
–Polygyny (one male, many females)
–Polyandry (one female, many males)
Egyptian geese
Winter wrens
Cassowary
Nests
Northern flicker
Masked weaver bird
Chilean flamingo
Reproduction
• Eggs range in size:
Ostrich egg
–0.25 inch long (hummingbirds) to
6 inches long (ostriches)
• Female lays eggs in a clutch
–Size varies from one to 20 eggs
–Varies by latitude, egg size, nest
characteristics, food availability, etc.
Humboldt penguin egg
5 inches
Robin eggs
Parental Care
• Altricial: hatchlings blind, naked and
helpless, must be fed by their
parents
– Most species, including common
songbirds
• Precocial: hatchlings born eyes
open, covered in down, able to walk
or swim and feed on own shortly
after hatching
Hummingbird family
– Ducks and chickens have precocial
chicks
• Precocial and altricial chicks grow
rapidly, reach adult size within one
year
Ducklings
Chilean flamingo
stages of development
Feeding Adaptations
• Birds lack teeth
• Jaws covered by a horny beak usually
adapted to the bird's diet:
– long, slender beaks for probing for
insects
– flat or paddle-shaped beaks for
sieving food out of the water
– heavy beaks for cracking and
crushing seeds
– sharp, hooked beaks for tearing
flesh
Feeding Diversity
• Insectivores:
– birds that mainly eat insects or spiders
• Granivores:
– birds that mainly eat seeds
• Nectarivores:
– birds that mainly eat nectar from flowers
• Piscivores:
– birds that mainly eat fish
• Frugivores:
– birds that mainly eat fruit
• Carnivores:
– birds that mainly catch and eat other animals
• Scavengers:
– birds that mainly eat dead animals
Hornbill
Habitats
Ostriches
Emperor penguins (NSF)
Western bluebird
Migration
• Regular, seasonal movements from one place
to another and back
–Vary from short distance to 1000s of miles
• Purpose: take advantage of best conditions to
meet basic needs
Arctic tern (USFWS)
Western tanager
Rufous hummingbird
BIRDS
Conservation
Threats to Birds
Hyacinth macaw
Surf scoter covered in oil
Oil palm plantation in Borneo
Brown tree snake
What can YOU do?
• Get to know birds
and appreciate them
– Join a local naturalist
club, birding group
– Participate in a citizen
science project
• Write letters of
concern to
government officials
• Educate others!
What can YOU do?
Create habitat for birds in
your backyard, schoolyard or
community garden
– Provide for basic needs of
birds: food, water, shelter and
places to raise young
– Remove invasive plants
– Plant native species
– Avoid pesticides
– Keep cats indoors!
What can YOU do?
Purchase shade-grown coffee
• Grown under intact tree canopy
• Provides habitat for residential
and migratory species
• Reduces need for fertilizers and
pesticides
• Grounds for Change fundraiser
“Sun” coffee plantation
“Shade” coffee plantation
What can YOU do?
Support local and global conservation efforts
Raptor Ecology
of the
Shrub Steppe
Cranes of Asia:
Muraviovka Park
What can YOU do?
Support local and global conservation efforts
Hornbill Research
Foundation:
adopt a hornbill nest!
Photo credits
All WPZ photos property of Woodland Park Zoo except those noted
below. All rights reserved.
All other photos used with permission. All rights reserved.
•Taken from public domain (wikipedia.org): feather illustration, bird
skeleton, contour and down feathers, king penguin colony, winter wren
with hatchlings, flicker in nest, flamingo on nest, ostrich egg, robin nest,
hummingbirds on nest, ducklings, flamingo in water, illustration of bird
beaks, western bluebird leaving nestbox, rufous hummingbird, western
tanager, Archaeopteryx, hyacinth macaw, brown tree snake, oil-coated
surf scoter
•National Science Foundation, U.S. Antarctic Program Photo
Library: emperor penguins
•US Fish and Wildlife Service, Alaska Image Library (Tim Bowman):
Arctic tern
•Hutan Asian Elephant Conservation: palm oil plantation
•Seattle Audubon: sun and shade-coffee plantations
•Hornbill Research Foundation hornbill being measured (Eric
Kowalczyk), hornbill on nest
Woodland Park Zoo 2013
www.zoo.org