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Bird Adaptations: Flight, Feathers & Migration

Explore the remarkable adaptations that enable birds to fly, from aerodynamic wings to lightweight skeletons. Learn about the diverse functions of feathers and the incredible migrations undertaken by various bird species. Discover how birds' beaks are specialized for different food habits, from carnivores to nectar drinkers. Uncover the secrets of bird flight and feeding behaviors in this captivating exploration of avian biology.

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Bird Adaptations: Flight, Feathers & Migration

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  1. Class Aves – Birds • Birds are found in most every habitat from forests to deserts, even in caves. • Some birds dive in the ocean to 45 m to catch prey. • Birds have visited both the North & South poles. • The bee hummingbird of Cuba weighs 1.8 g and is one of the smallest vertebrate endotherms.

  2. Derived Characters of Birds • A bird’s most obvious adaptations for flight are its wings and feathers. • Feathers are the feature that set birds apart from other vertebrates.

  3. Characteristics of Birds • All birds also have hindlimbs adapted for walking, swimming, or perching. • Foot structure in bird feet shows considerable variation. • All have keratinized beaks. • All lay shelled amniotic eggs.

  4. Light Weight Skeleton • Frigate bird • 7 foot wing span • 4 ounce skeleton

  5. Adaptations for Flight • Enlarged sternum • Flight muscle attachment • Long neck • balance

  6. Pygostyle

  7. Skull • Most bones fused • Much lighter than reptile or mammal skull

  8. Adaptations for Flight • Wing • lift

  9. Form & Function – Feathers • Feathers are lightweight, yet tough, consisting of: • A hollow quill emerges from the skin. • This becomes the shaft which bears numerous barbs that form a flat, webbed surface, the vane. • Each barb contains many barbules.

  10. Adaptations for Flight • Feathers • Light weight • Strong

  11. Form & Function – Feathers • Contour feathers are vaned feathers that cover and streamline a bird’s body. • Called flight feathers if they extend beyond the body. • Down feathers are soft and have no hooks on barbules. • Filoplume feathers are hair-like – function unknown. • Powder-down feathers disintegrate as they grow, releasing powder that aids in waterproofing.

  12. Form & Function – Feathers • As a feather nears the end of its growth, keratin is deposited to make some of the structures hard. • The protective sheath surrounding the new feather splits open, and the feather unfurls.

  13. Form & Function – Feathers • When fully grown, feathers are dead – like mammalian hair. • Birds molt to replace worn out feathers. • Usually feathers are discarded gradually to avoid bare spots. • Flight feathers & tail feathers are lost in pairs to maintain balance. • Many water birds lose all their primary feathers at once and are grounded during the molt.

  14. Form & Function – Feathers • Colors in birds may be pigmentary or structural. • Red, orange, & yellow are colored by pigments called lipochromes. • Black, brown, & gray are produced by the pigment melanin. • Blue is created structurally by the scattering of shorter wavelengths of light by particles within the feather.

  15. Adaptations for Flight • Reduce body weight • No teeth • No urinary bladder • No penis • Only one ovary

  16. Flight • To fly, birds must generate lift forces greater than their own mass and they must provide propulsion to move forward. • Bird wings are designed to provide lift.

  17. Flight - Wings are Specialized for Particular Kinds of Flight • Elliptical wings are good for maneuvering in forests. • High speed wings are used by birds that feed during flight or that make long migrations. • Dynamic soaringwings are used by oceanic birds that exploit the reliable sea winds. • High lift wings are found in predators that carry heavy loads. Soaring over land with variable air currents.

  18. Migration • Sissor-tailed flycatchar • Migates to Central and South America in October • Returns in April

  19. Migration • Arctic tern • Migrates 25,000 miles!

  20. Migration • The stimulus for migration has to do with changing hormone levels brought about by a change in day length.

  21. Food & Feeding • Early birds were carnivorous, feeding mostly on insects. • Many birds are still insectivores. • Other foods include nectar, seeds, berries, worms, crustaceans, molluscs, fish, frogs, small birds & mammals.

  22. Food & Feeding • Some birds are generalists, feeding on a wide range of food items. • Perhaps more competition for food, but less danger of something happening to the food source. • Others are specialists, only feeding on one type of food. • Less competition, more danger of losing the food source.

  23. Food & Feeding • The beaks of birds are strongly adapted to specialized food habits.

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