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Avian Anatomy 1
Avian Anatomy 1
Pg. 9-54
Avian Anatomy
• Beak
One derivate of bird’s skin is
its beak or bill. It consists
of an upper and lower
mandible and is covered
with tough, horny keratin
layer that grows
continuously
Beaks vary in their hardness
and flexibility depending
on their function
Claws
Reduced mass
Pneumatic bones- major bones hollow with struts,
air spaces connected to respiratory system
Fused bones- adds rigidity
Lack teeth- lightweight beak
Skeletal System
The bird skeleton is highly
adapted for flight. It is
extremely lightweight but
strong enough to withstand
the stresses of taking off,
flying, and landing.
http://nm.audubon.org/education/EE%20Chapter1/Chapter1.htm
Skeletal composition
A bird's head (skull) is dominated
by the large eye sockets
(orbits) which take up so much
space that the braincase
(cranium) is pushed to the
back
The skull consists of five major
bones: the frontal (top of
head), parietal (back of head),
premaxillary and nasal (top
beak), and the mandible
(bottom beak). The skull of a
normal bird usually weighs
about 1% of the birds total
bodyweight.
The chest consists of
the furcula (wishbone)
and coracoid (collar
bone), which two
bones, together with
the scapula form the
pectoral girdle. The
side of the chest is
formed by the ribs,
which meet at the
sternum (mid-line of the
chest).
The shoulder consists of the
scapula (shoulder blade),
coracoid (see The Chest),
and humerus (upper arm).
The humerus joins the
radius and ulna (forearm) to
form the elbow. The bones
in the wing are extremely
light so that the bird can fly
more easily.
• Beak
– Excellent example of adaptation
to diet
– Highly specialized beaks such
as hummingbirds, crossbills,
and snail kite
– Prepare food for swallowing
– Remove poorly digested
portions (e.g. seed, snail
shells, bones)
Avian Digestive Tract
• Tongue – Has 3 primary roles
– Collecting food – sticky tongue of woodpeckers, long thin tongue hummingbirds
– Manipulating food in mouth
• Muscular tongue of finches and parrots for handling seeds
• Fish eating birds have stiff papilla
• Filter feeding birds have bristles that mesh with lamellae on bill to form sieve
– Swallowing – may have papilla to direct food items toward the back of the mouth
Avian Saliva
Oviduct
Female Reproductive Tract
Ovary Most female birds
have one functionally ovary
(on the left)
Infundibulum - site of
fertilization
Magnum - albumin addition
Isthmus - membranes
Uterus - shell gland
Vagina - transport to
exterior
Sperm storage occurs at
various sites in tract in
some species
Reproductive cont..
Males have two testis and a
rudimentary fold of tissue
called a phallus instead of a
penis
Most bird species rub their
cloacal areas together to
transfer the male's sperm but
ostriches, rheas, strokes,
flamingos, ducks and a few
other families actually have
an erectile grooved penis on
the back wall of the cloaca to
transfer sperm.
Reproductive activity
The small species, such as cockatiels,
can be reproductively active as early as
6 months of age
Larger species, such as macaws, may
not be reproductively active until over 3
years of age
Cockatiels are prolific breeders, and
females can lay many eggs even in the
absence of a male bird
Commonly, egg-laying female
cockatiels on a seed diet become egg
bound, requiring ER medical assistance
Incubation
Typically, an egg is formed in the uterus over 24 hours
The incubation period (from laying to hatching) for budgie
and cockatiel eggs is 18 to 21 days, respectively, whereas
for the African grey parrots, Amazon parrots, and macaws
it is app. 26 days
Some aviculturists allow the parent birds to incubate the
eggs and then remove the neonates from the nest at 10
days of age to be hand-fed, as is commonly practiced w/
parrots
Others will remove the eggs immediately after being laid
and place them in an incubator, then a hatcher, and then
hand-feed the neonates
Respiratory System
They lack a diaphragm,
have nonexpandable lungs
and a system of air sacs
which extend into many of
their bones.
Vocalization is by means of
a syrinx, not a larynx as in
mammals
Unidirectional air flow
System of air sacs
Average of 9
Chickens 8