1. Bird Adaptations
Zoology

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

3. Review What is one thing birds have that no other animal has?
Feathers!
What are modified bird forelimbs called?
Wings!
Name 3 uses for bird hindlimbs.
Walking, swimming or perching
What do birds have in place of jaws and teeth and why?
Beaks (or bills), weight reduction

4. What fossil was the link between reptiles and birds?
Archaeopterix lithographica

5. Feathers Modified scales
Used for insulation, breeding display & camouflage
3 main types:
Contour feathers
Down feathers
Filoplumes

6. Contour Feathers Cover body, wings and tail 2 main types
General body feathers
Overall body covering
Color for camouflage or breeding displays
Flight feathers
Wings and Tail - long & strong feathers
Needed to produce lift and for steering & balance

7. Flight Feathers Wing feathers or Rectrices Tail feathers or Remiges
Primaries
Secondaries
Tertiaries
Tail feathers
or Remiges

8. Retrices (plural) Retrix (singular)

9. Remiges (plural)

10. Contour Feather Parts
Calamus or quill
Rachis
Vane or blade

11. Contour Feather Structure
Vanes made up of interlocking parts – why is this needed?
Barbs
Barbules
Barbicels
Barbicels are hooks that
hold the barbs together
Must be preened to
maintain structure
Uropygial or preen or oil gland

12. Down Feathers Lack stiff barbules and barbicels
Short, fluffy and soft barbs
Found underneath and between contour feathers and on juvenile birds
Function in insulation by trapping air
Birds like ducks and geese tend to have more down – Why?
Powder Down
Special type of down on aquatic birds - waterproof

13. Filoplumes Probably Sensory feathers – still debated Other types
Semiplumes
Bristles

14. Why are females usually not as bright as males?
Feather Coloration
Why are females usually not as bright as males?

15. Why do some birds have similarly plumaged sexes?

16. Why would some birds change color in the winter?
How do they change?

17. Molting Birds shed feathers and grow new ones
Most do it gradually
Some do it all at once
Alternate or Breeding Plumage
Brightest colors, usually in spring
Basic or Winter Plumage
Usually fairly drab
Most birds molt twice a year

18. 4 Ways Birds are Adapted for Flight
Bones of a bird’s forelimbs form wings
Weight reduction
Bones are nearly hollow (pneumatic)
Air sacs, no bladder etc.
Large chest muscles that move the wings
Feathers

19. Airfoil in a Bird’s Wing
Top
Leading edge
Trailing edge

20. Birds vs. Airplanes
If a bird is just gliding (or "soaring"), that is, not flapping its wings, it flies in pretty much the same way that an airplane flies. The wings push air
down, so by Newton's third law the
air must push them up. The push
comes partly from the angle of the wings and partly from the curvature
of the wings.
Swainson’s Hawk

21. Flapping Flight
The bird uses its strong muscles to push its wings downwards, pushing air downwards, generating lift, and, if the wings are angled properly, also thrust. The big problem then becomes not pushing air back upwards when the bird
moves its wings up for
the return stroke.

22. Fixed vs. Flexible Wings
Birds have hinged wings. On the downstroke, the wing is fully extended, offering its full surface area for pushing air downwards. On the upstroke, the wing folds up, presenting less area.
Osprey ?

23. Bird Wings Can Move in Many Ways
Many can use their tails like a rudder for steering

24. Motionless Flight
Hummingbirds' wings are pointed and swept back, and they rotate at the shoulder, not at the wrist, allowing the wing to be turned over in midstroke, so that backward motion cancels forward motion and the bird remains motionlessly poised in the air to sip the nectar of flowers.

25. Hummingbird flight
Black-chinned hummingbird

29. Hummingbird Facts How many times does a
hummingbird's wings beat per SECOND?
80 times per second!
How many heartbeats per minute?
Their hearts beat at over 1,263 beats PER MINUTE.
♂ broad-tailed

30. Wing Shape Can Help to Determine What Type of Bird You are Seeing
And what their job or niche is…

31. Wing Shapes

32. What does raptor mean?
Any species (dinosaur, bird etc.) that catches and kills its prey with its feet

33. Raptor Silhouettes

34. 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

35. Feet – Another Adaptation

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

37. Bird Beaks – Another Adaptation

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

39. Bird Bills SHAPE TYPE ADAPTATION Cracker
Seed eaters like sparrows and cardinals have short, thick conical bills for cracking seed.
Shredder
Birds of prey like hawks and owls have sharp, curved bills for tearing meat.
Chisel
Woodpeckers have bills that are long and chisel-like for boring into wood to eat insects.
Probe
Hummingbird bills are long and slender for probing flowers for nectar.
Strainer
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.

40. Bird Adaptations Types of feathers Forelimb Modified into Wing
Modifications for Flight
Specialized Feet
Specialized Bills