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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.
In birds, some temperature control occurs in the respiratory system. [16] Water vapor heats cool air during inhalation in the trachea, and increases its humidity. [16] The resulting evaporative water loss varies greatly and depends on several factors including air sac pressure and the subsequent rate of air flow through the trachea.
This stylised bird skeleton highlights the synsacrum Synsacrum of an unidentified bird. 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 vertebrae. This structure can only be seen in birds.
Because birds are exposed to a wide variety of toxic gases and air borne particles in the environment, studies have used birds to measure air quality. [7] Not only is a bird’s respiration adapted to handle high-altitude flight, but so too is the circulatory system. In general, birds have larger heart sizes and higher cardiac output.
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).
Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (Latin:), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweight skeleton. Birds live worldwide and range in size from the 5.5 cm (2.2 in) bee hummingbird to the 2.8 m ...
This stylised bird skeleton highlights the keel bone. A keel or carina (pl.: carinae) in bird anatomy is an extension of the sternum (breastbone) which runs axially along the midline of the sternum and extends outward, perpendicular to the plane of the ribs.
Pigeon skeleton. Number 8 indicates both left and right tarsometatarsus. The tarsometatarsus is a bone that is only found in the lower leg of birds and some non-avian dinosaurs. . It is formed from the fusion of several bones found in other types of animals, and homologous to the mammalian tarsus (ankle bones) and metatarsal bones (foo