Main Characteristics of Birds

The Class Aves or Birds is just one of

the classes of the bigger Kingdom Animalia. The birds share some
characteristics with another closely related class – Reptiles, but they also
have some features that are unique to these fantastic creatures. Let us go
through their main traits.

 Birds are vertebrates – they have an inner skeleton that contains

a spine, limbs, and a skull;
 Birds are endothermic – they maintain constant body
temperature by themselves, without depending on outside
factors;
 Birds are bipedal (i.e., they move on two limbs when they are on
the ground);
 The upper limbs of birds have evolved into specialized structures
– wings, that allow flight;
 The body of the most bird is spindle-shaped (to make the flight
more comfortable and more effective);
 The birds’ bones are hollow inside, to lower the overall weight of
the body;
  The birds have a beak instead
of a mouth with teeth;
 The body is covered with unique structures – feathers. Only legs
are covered with scales;
 The birds have a heart with 4 chambers – this way, the oxygen-
rich and oxygen-poor blood is divided correctly, which helps
with maintaining constant temperatures;
 The birds have a complex nervous system and a well-
developed brain. Many birds are known to be highly teachable
and intelligent;
 There are two sexes in birds: male and female;
 Fertilization in birds is internal. As a result of fertilization, a
closed-off, waterproof egg is formed.
 The eggs develop outside the body, usually under the care of
both parents or sometimes only one.
If we want to define birds strictly, we would say they are warm-blooded,
bipedal vertebrate animals, with forelimbs evolved into wings, covered in
feathers and with a beak instead of a mouth.
Suggested Reading:

What Do Birds Eat?

Most birds diet on insects, seeds, flowers, berries, while others (large birds) feed on
mammals & reptiles. Find what do birds eat by types.