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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. One key adaptation is the fusing of bones into single ossifications, such as the pygostyle.
This stylised bird skeleton highlights the furcula Wishbone of a chicken. 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]
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 ...
Confuciusornis sanctus, a Cretaceous bird from China that lived 125 million years ago, is the oldest known bird to have a beak. [ 36 ] Over 40% of key traits found in modern birds evolved during the 60 million year transition from the earliest bird-line archosaurs to the first maniraptoromorphs , i.e. the first dinosaurs closer to living birds ...
The mounted skeletons were laser scanned, from which 3-D models were reconstructed, which became the basis of a 2016 monograph about the osteology of the dodo. [135] [136] In 2006, explorers discovered a complete skeleton of a dodo in a lava cave in Mauritius.
The anatomy of bird legs and feet is diverse, encompassing many accommodations to perform a wide variety of functions. [ 1 ] Most birds are classified as digitigrade animals, meaning they walk on their toes rather than the entire foot.
This stylised bird skeleton highlights the uncinate processes. The uncinate processes of the ribs are extensions of bone that project caudally from the vertical segment of each rib. (Uncinate means hooked from Latin uncinatus, from uncinus, barb, from uncus, hook.)
A turning point came in the early twentieth century with the writings of Gerhard Heilmann of Denmark.An artist by trade, Heilmann had a scholarly interest in birds and from 1913 to 1916, expanding on earlier work by Othenio Abel, [12] published the results of his research in several parts, dealing with the anatomy, embryology, behavior, paleontology, and evolution of birds. [13]