19 class aves Flashcards
(38 cards)
(avis =
birds
“avian reptiles/dinosaurs”
* Approx. 10,000 living species, making them the worlds most successfully diverse class of tetrapods
class AVES
maintain its body at a metabolically favourable temperature by the use of heat set by its
internal bodily functions instead of relying on environmental temperature (a.k.a. “warm-blooded”)
ENDOTHERMS
the stiff axial shaft
Rachis
hollow and semi-transparent
proximal end
quill (calamus)
flattish, distal portion
vane
comprises the vane
barbs
small hooks in each barb which hold together adjacent barbs.
Barbules
gives the bird its outward
form
Contour feathers
main feathers for flight
Flight feathers
soft tufts hidden behind
contour feathers
Down feathers
hair-like, degenerative
feathers
Filoplume Feathers
of feathers is a highly orderly process.
molting
Feet are covered with
horny epidermal scales
found at base of tail; produces oil that keeps feathers waterproof (hence why you see birds reach their beak to their tail before they groom themselves)
preen gland
Hindlimbs and pelvic girdle are modified for
bipedal (2-legged) locomotion
the reduced tailbones which are fused together
Pygostyle
– boat-like extension of the sternum which anchors the pectoral muscles (which are the main muscles for flight)
keen
largest muscle in bird; produces the downward stroke of wings
Pectoralis major
raises the wings
Pectoralis minor
– In pigeons and doves, the crop can produce a protein-
rick “milk” that ar regurgitated to feed their chicks
crop milk
– (usually 7 to 9 sacs) extensions of the lungs that
connects with air cavities in the bones to fill them with air;
takes up 75% of inhaled air (the remaining 25% goes to the lungs)
air sacs
the voice box of birds; muscular chamber in the
trachea which produces sound.
Syrinx
Kidneys extract waste from bloodstream and excrete it as
uric acid