Birds 

Chapter-26- Lesson-3
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 Theropods
The birds that you see all around you are actually related to a
dinosaur known as a Velociraptor (a genus of Theropods). In
fact, birds are dinosaurs that evolved powered flight.

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 Fossils Supported that
Birds evolved from Theropods
Birds evolved from Theropods
• Theropods were bipedal, or
two-legged.

• Most were carnivorous.

• Birds and many theropods
shared anatomical features.
Birds evolved from Theropods
 Hollow bones

 Fused collarbones that forms

a V-shaped wishbone, or
furcula.

 Rearranged muscles in hips

and legs that improved bi-
pedal movement.

 Hands that have lost their 4th

and 5th finger.

 Feathers.
 Morphological differences
• Theropods had feathers, but they did not have wings, they were
running animals.

• This means that feathers did not evolve for flight.

• They may have helped to keep the animals warm or been used for
territorial display.

• As birds evolved, they used feathers to form wings.

 Fossil bird
● The oldest fossil bird is Archaeopteryx, a
chicken-sized animal that lived about 150
million years ago.

● It had feathers and a furcula.

● Like a reptile, it also had clawed fingers, a tail

and teeth.

● Its feathers make it an important link between

flightless dinosaurs, dinosaurs that could fly,
and the modern birds of today.
 A bird’s body is specialized for flight.

Birds have specialized adaptations for powered flight,

some inherited from Theropods and some unique to birds.
They include:

 Wings that produce flight.

 Flight muscles that moves the wings.

 An active metabolism that provides energy to the

muscles.

 Hollow bones that minimizes weight.

 Reproductive adaptations.
 Wings
 Wings are structures that allow birds to fly, their curved shape is similar to an airplane
wing.
 This kind of surface is called an airfoil.
 An airfoil is curved down on the top surface (convex) and curved up on the bottom
(concave).
 This shape makes air move faster on top than below.
 The difference in air speed above and below the foil produces a pressure difference that
lifts the wing up.
 Wings are limbs that are homologous to human arms, covered by large feathers.
 Muscles
 A bird’s chest muscles provide the power
for flight.
 In almost all vertebrates, chest muscles
attach to the arms and the breastbone, or
sternum.
 But a bird’s chest muscles are so big that
the sternum has evolved a larger surface
called a keel, or ridge that supports the
muscles.
 Keel provides a large attachment surface
for the chest muscles.
 Flight in Birds
 When the birds fly, their chest muscles
contract to pull their wings backwards and
down.
 The down-stroke moves the wings to produce
lift and propel the animal forward.
 Deeper chest muscles contract during the
upstroke , moving the wings forward and up
until the bird starts another down-stroke.
Flight in Birds
 Metabolism
 Feathers are complex branching structures made
of keratin.
 Feathers are important for flight and also
insulates the body , keeping them warm and
maintaining temperature.
 Flying takes a lot of energy. Since birds are
endotherms and have an active metabolism that
can produce large amounts of ATP for the flight
muscles.
What will the bird need to produce this ATP?
High amount of Oxygen
 Air Sacs in Lungs
 A bird’s body is filled with a series of air sacs that are connect to the lungs. Air sacs store air as the bird breathes.

 During flight, movement of the furcula help push air through the air sacs lungs.

 Inhaled air travels through the lungs and air sacs in such a way that oxygen-rich air is always available.

 Unlike in birds, in other vertebrates oxygen rich air mixes with oxygen poor air inside the lungs .

 But since only oxygen rich air flows through a bird’s lungs the amount of oxygen absorbed increases and this
maximizes a bird’s metabolism.
 Bone Structure
● Birds have evolved bones that are
hollow.
● Inside bird bones there is a system of
support structures like struts
● Many bones are connected to the air
sacs, and air fills the cavities in the
bone aiding in flight.
● This adaptation decreases the bird’s
weight and increases the amount of air
in a bird’s body to make flying easier.
 Reproductive Adaptations
 The reproductive organs of male and female birds
are active only for a few months during mating
season.

The rest of the year, the organs shrink to reduce

the bird’s weight.
This adaptation decreases the amount of energy
needed for flight.
 Birds have spread to many ecological niches.
Modern birds are the descendants of the one dinosaur group that survived
when all other dinosaurs became extinct. Over time, this group
diversified into more than 9000 species. Through natural selection, birds
adapted to different habitats and gradually developed different wings,
beaks, and feet.

Difference in wing shape Difference in Beak shape Difference in Foot Shape

Wings
Differences in wing shape
 Differences in wing shape

The shape of a bird’s wing reflects the way it

flies.
Short, wide wings allow a bird to maneuver
easily.
• Gulls have long,narrow wings for soaring
long distances over water.
Hawks, eagles, and condors have long, broad wings for
soaring slowly over land
songbirds have short, slightly pointed wings to maneuver through tight spaces .
The wings of flightless birds, such as ostriches, are too small to lift the bird into the air.
Difference in Beaks
 Differences in beak shape

● The shape of a bird’s beak, or bill,

reflects how it eats. A bird’s beak is a
layer of keratin that covers the jaw
bones.
● The long, spearlike beak of a blue –
footed booby uses its spear like beak to
capture fish.
● The hooked beak of an eagle can tear
flesh from its prey.
● Thin, pointed bills can catch insects.
● A parrot’s thick beak can crack nuts
Differences in foot shape
• With few exceptions, bird feet have four toes.
Aquatic birds have webbed feet, with skin connecting the toes to form
paddles.
Birds of prey, such as eagles, have heavy claws to capture and kill prey. Woodpeckers
have two toes pointing forward and two pointing backward, so they can cling to
vertical tree trunks.

Sparrows and crow have three toes pointing forward and one backward to
perch them on horizontal tree limbs.