Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
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.
Birds have various adaptations for flight, including a lightweight skeleton, two large flight muscles, the pectoralis (which accounts for 15% of the total mass of the bird) and the supracoracoideus, as well as a modified forelimb that serves as an aerofoil. [77]
Webbing and lobation in a bird's right foot. Birds are typically classified as a sub-group of reptiles, but they are a distinct class within vertebrates, so are discussed separately. Birds have a wide span of representatives with webbed feet, due to the diversity of waterfowl. Ducks, geese, and swans all have webbed feet. They utilize different ...
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).
The Torresian crow is a large corvid, about the same size (48–53 cm in length) [9] as the Eurasian carrion crow but with a more robust bill and slightly longer legs. The plumage of the Torresian crow is glossy black on the back and dull black on the breast with inconspicuous throat hackles.
The adaptive traits may be structural, behavioural or physiological. Structural adaptations are physical features of an organism, such as shape, body covering, armament, and internal organization. Behavioural adaptations are inherited systems of behaviour, whether inherited in detail as instincts, or as a neuropsychological capacity for learning.
In birds, the kidneys are not solely responsible for osmoregulation. A unique feature in birds is the lower intestine, which absorbs fluids and electrolytes that were not absorbed by the small intestine or the kidneys. [37] These osmoregulatory adaptations allow the common raven to thrive in diverse habitats.
Male jacanas brood eggs between the wings and the body. This wing-brooding may be assisted by a special adaptation in the wing bones with either a broadening of the radius or a widening of the gap between the radius and ulna. Young chicks may also be held under the wing and transported to safety by the parent bird in some species. [21]