1. Marine and Coastal Birds

2. External Anatomy of a Bird
Beak
Crown
Iris
Pupil
Mantle
Lesser Coverts
Scapulars
Coverts (Feathers)
Tertials
Rump
Tail Feathers
Vent
Thigh
Knee
Tarsus
Feet
Tibia
Belly
Flanks
Breast
Throat
Wattle
External Anatomy of a Bird

3. Birds are in the phylum Chordata Class Aves
Hollow Bones
Feathers
Wings
Lay eggs
Endothermic (warm-blooded)

4. Marine Birds Waterproof feathers Webbed Feet
Oil gland secretes oil
Use beaks to move it around their bodies
Webbed Feet
Nest on land in often secluded areas

5. Types of Marine Birds Tubenoses
Salt gland to excrete excess salt ingested
Curved tip on beak good for surface fishing
Albatross

6. Tubenoses continued Tubenoses have extreme migrations Mate for life
Wingspans up to 3.5 m!

7. Penguins Streamlined, hard beak (better for diving)
Use wings to dive and pursue food
Denser bones to help with diving
Often mate for life
Bad eye sight on land

8. Penguins continued… Penguins live in cold regions
They have an extra layer of fat to help keep them warm
They sometimes live near the equator, but those areas get cold water currents

9. Pelicans
Pelicans have a pouch on bill that can hold water when they catch prey
DDT caused a near extinction of brown pelicans in the 70s
Brown pelicans are found on the TX Gulf Coast

10. Cormorant
Black birds that dive for prey
Low fliers and low floaters

11. Frigates Bird Pirates Long forked tail
Attack birds in air and make them regurgitate their food
Don’t enter water often because they aren’t very waterproof
Long forked tail
Montereyseabirds.com

12. Gulls
Scavengers (trash birds)
They eat anything

13. Shorebirds in Texas Often have long legs for wading Roseate Spoonbills
Eat crustaceans
Live along the gulf of Mexico
Red shoulder patch
Spoon shaped bill

14. Herons Long legs for wading Eat crustaceans Long billed Curlew
Use bill to get worms, fish, crabs out of mud

15. Whooping Cranes Tallest bird in North America
Can only see black wing feathers while in flight
Migrate to Texas from November to March (breed in Canada)

16. Whooping Crane Migration