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The scales of birds are composed of the same keratin as beaks, claws, and spurs. They are found mainly on the toes and metatarsus, but may be found further up on the ankle in some birds. Most bird scales do not overlap significantly, except in the cases of kingfishers and woodpeckers.
The scales and scutes of birds were thought to be homologous to those of reptiles, [4] but are now agreed to have evolved independently, being degenerate feathers. [ 5 ] [ 6 ] Carcharodontosaurid theropod dinosaur Concavenator , is known to have possessed these feather-derived tarsal scutes.
Bird measurement or bird biometrics are approaches to quantify the size of birds in scientific studies. The variation in dimensions and weights across birds is one of the fundamental sources of diversity among birds, and even Within species, dimensions may vary across populations within species , between the sexes and depending on age and ...
Bird anatomy, or the physiological structure of birds' bodies, shows many unique adaptations, mostly aiding flight.Birds have a light skeletal system and light but powerful musculature which, along with circulatory and respiratory systems capable of very high metabolic rates and oxygen supply, permit the bird to fly.
Most birds have four toes, typically three facing forward and one pointing backward. [7] [10] [8] In a typical perching bird, they consist respectively of 3, 4, 5 and 2 phalanges. [2] Some birds, like the sanderling, have only the forward-facing toes; these are called tridactyl feet while the ostrich have only two toes (didactyl feet).
Scale (ratio), the ratio of a linear dimension of a model to the corresponding dimension of the original; Scale factor, a number which scales, or multiplies, some quantity; Long and short scales, how powers of ten are named and grouped in large numbers; Scale parameter, a description of the spread or dispersion of a probability distribution
Bird ringing is the term used in the UK and in some other parts of Europe, while the term bird banding is more often used in the U.S. and Australia. [49] bird strike The impact of a bird or birds with an airplane in flight. [50] body down The layer of small, fluffy down feathers that lie underneath the outer contour feathers on a bird's body. [51]
In ornithology, the lore is the region between the eye and bill on the side of a bird's head. [1] This region is sometimes featherless, and the skin may be tinted, as in many species of the cormorant family. [2] This area, which is directly in front of the eye, features a "loral stripe" in many bird species including the red-capped plover.