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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.
The furcula (Latin for "little fork"; pl.: furculae) [a] or wishbone is a forked bone found in most birds and some species of non-avian dinosaurs, and is formed by the fusion of the two clavicles. [1] In birds, its primary function is in the strengthening of the thoracic skeleton to withstand the rigors of flight.
This stylised bird skeleton highlights the synsacrum Pelvis of a Gull; formed by the Synsacrum (fused vertebrae placed centrally) and the two innominate bones either side. The synsacrum is a skeletal structure of birds and other dinosaurs, in which the sacrum is extended by incorporation of additional fused or partially fused caudal or lumbar ...
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]
Surface anatomy (also called superficial anatomy and visual anatomy) is the study of the external features of the body of an animal. [1] In birds , this is termed topography . Surface anatomy deals with anatomical features that can be studied by sight, without dissection .
Pigeon skeleton with "plowshare"-type pygostyle (number 17) Confuciusornis sanctus with "rod"-type pygostyle and the two central tail feathers. Pygostyle describes a skeletal condition in which the final few caudal vertebrae are fused into a single ossification, supporting the tail feathers and musculature.
Pigeon skeleton; numbers 10 and 11 indicates the tibiotarsus. The tibiotarsus is the large bone between the femur and the tarsometatarsus in the leg of a bird. It is the fusion of the proximal part of the tarsus with the tibia. A similar structure also occurred in the Mesozoic Heterodontosauridae.
Diagram showing the general layout of air sacs in a bird. Birds have a system of air sacs in their ventilation system. [2] The air sacs work to produce a unidirectional flow where air enters and exits the lung at the same rate, contrasting the lungs of other tetrapods such as mammals where air enters and exits the lung in a tidal ventilation.