Anatomy

Question 1

What do bird brains lack making them smooth?

Answer 1

Gyri - bumps and ridges on the cerebral cortex (most outer layer of the brain)

Question 2

What is a birds most predominant sense?

Why is this?

Answer 2

Sight

Bescuase the optic lobes are found mid brain with the cerebellum

Question 3

What is the purpose of the cerebellum?

Answer 3

It plays a muscular coordination. Complex body movements required for flight result in a well developed cerebrum in birds.

Question 4

How many cranial nerves do birds have

Answer 4

12

Question 5

What reflex do birds lack due to there optic nerves?

Answer 5

Consensal light reflex

This is because the optic nerves completely cross

Question 6

What is the function on plexus’s?

Answer 6

They send messages from the brain to allow movement

Question 7

What does the bronchial plexus supply?

Answer 7

It supplies each wing

Question 8

What does the lumber plexus supply?

Answer 8

Supplies the body wall and upper hind limbs

Question 9

What does the Ischiatic plexus supply?

Answer 9

Hind limbs - ischiatic nerve

Question 10

What does the pudendal plexus supply?

Answer 10

Innervate tail and cloacal area

Question 11

The autonomic nervous system consists of which 2 antagonistic systems?

Answer 11

Sympathetic and parasympathetic

Question 12

Sympathetic system purpose?

How does it affect
heart rate?
Breathing rate?
Peristalsis?
Intestinal secretions?

Answer 12

Prepares the body for action - fight or flight.

Heart - Increases rate of contraction of cardiac muscle- cardiac output increases
Breathing- smooth muscle of bronchioles relaxes and intake of air increases
Peristalsis- the digestive tract contacts less and peristalsis’s decreases
Intestinal secretions - action on the gland is inhibited- decrease in production of secretions

Question 13

Purpose of parasympathetic system?

Affects on
Heart rate?
Breathing rate?
Peristalsis?
Intestinal secretions?

Answer 13

Also known as rest and digest - body enters calm state

Heart -Decrease in rate of contraction of cardiac muscle - cardiac output decreases
Breathing-Smooth muscle of bronchioles contracts - intake of air decreases
Peristalsis- Smooth muscle of digestive tract contracts more - rate of peristalsis increases
Intestinal secretions- Action of glands is stimulated - increase in production of secretions

Question 14

What is rhamphotheca?

Answer 14

It is the keratin layer which covers the upper and lower beak

Question 15

What is the upper beak keratin known as?

Answer 15

Rhinotheca

Question 16

What is the lower beak keratin known as?

Answer 16

Gnatotheca

Question 17

Where is the kinetic joint located and it’s purpose?

Answer 17

It’s where the upper beak connects to skull in parrots

It acts like a hinge mechanism giving the beak more power

Question 18

What is the purpose of a ducks having fine serration to the edge of their beaks ?

Answer 18

It allows the filtration of fine particles out of the water

Question 19

How can ducks find food in the water

Answer 19

They have fine nerve endings in the tip of the beaks in a raised structure known as the NAIL

Question 20

What type of bones do birds have? the larger ones and vertebrae

Answer 20

Pneumonised Bones (hollow bones) that are attached to there air sacks helping air to move through them, helping them to be lighter when flying

Question 21

where are the scleral ossicles located?

Answer 21

they are small bones which form a ring shaped structure to support the structure of the front of the eye

Question 22

What are the 2 tear producing glands in birds?

Answer 22

Harderian gland located base of 3rd eyelid
lacrimal gland located caudilterally

Question 23

What is the fuction of the harderian gland in birds?

Answer 23

it is the dominant orbit - it has a lubricating and cleaning function
it also plays a part in immunity of the eye and upper respiratory tract

Question 24

how can you use eye colour to determin age in african greys and blue/gold macaws?

Answer 24

uptill 4-5 months = dark grey
after 5 months = yellow/grey turning more silver as bird ages

Question 25

how can you use eye colour to determin sex in cockatoo's

Answer 25

Females = bright red/brown iris Males = dark brown/black

Question 26

what is the purpose of the pecten oculi?

Answer 26

it is a pleated/folded vascular structure that intermitally contracts expelling nutrition in to the vitreous humour from blood stream - this instead of having blood vessels in the retina.

Question 27

what type of fibres are within the iris?

Answer 27

Skeletal muscles fibres

Question 28

what reflexes can you not use to determine ocular function in birds?

Answer 28

pupillary light reflex - due to skeletal muscle fibres they can contract there eyes at will consensual light reflex - due to complete separation of the optic nerve.

Question 29

Why can’t you use the humerus in birds for a intraosseous catheter?

Answer 29

Because it’s pneumonised

Question 30

What colour is the cere for Male and Female Budgies?

Answer 30

Male Blue Female Brown

Question 31

Why can a Sinus infection cause problems with Birds with a infraorbital sinus?

Answer 31

The infraorbital sinus connects to air sacs in the head, when they have a infection the narrow inlets between these can become blocked and allow air in but not out of the air sacs leading to over inflation

Question 32

How many occipital condyles do birds have?

Answer 32

one (mammals have 2) This makes there necks mobile but weak

Question 33

what is a 'Dens'?

Answer 33

The joint within the atlas

Question 34

the thoracic vertebrae is fused in many species of bird to form a single done known as?

Answer 34

Notarium

Question 35

There are 2 intervertebral joints between the notarium and caudal vertebrae is know as?

Answer 35

Synsacrum

Question 36

The fused part of the coccygeal vertebrae is known as?

Answer 36

pygostyle

Question 37

where do the rectrices attach?

Answer 37

pygostyle

Question 38

How does the pelvis of birds differ from that in mammals?

Answer 38

The roof is formed by fused lumbar and sacral vertebrae – the synsacrum , which is then fused to the pelvis/ilium. The acetabulum has no solid bone lining. An antitrochanter exists - part where the greater trochanter articulates with a ridge in a pelvis The pubis is unfused and long and thin.

Question 39

what is the purpose of the coracoid bone?

Answer 39

it put the shoulder joint against the sternum, counteracting some of the large forces created by flapping the wings

Question 40

Explain the foreman triosseal

Answer 40

its a opening enclosed by the clavicle, scapular and coracoid that muscle tendons pass through

Question 41

what muscle extends upwards from the keel, through the foreman triosseal and attaches to the dorsal side of humerous?

Answer 41

supracoracoid muscle

Question 42

what muscle pulls the wing downwards?

Answer 42

pectoralis muscle

Question 43

what muscle allows elevation on the wing when is contracts

Answer 43

supracoracoid muscle

Question 44

purpose and location of alula?

Answer 44

1st metacarpal bone its mobile allowing birds to change airflow over dorsal aspect of wing

Question 45

Where do the 1-6 primaries attach to?

Answer 45

metacarpal bone

Question 46

where do the 8-10 primaries attach to?

Answer 46

major digit

Question 47

where do the secondaries attach? how many secondary feathers are there?

Answer 47

ulnar depends on species - ranges from 6-32 feathers

Question 48

What are tertials?

Answer 48

Refers to feathers that loosely cover space between wing and body

Question 49

where are covert feathers located ?

Answer 49

they cover the bulk of bird bodies

Question 50

which bone in the leg can you use for osseous fluid therapy?

Answer 50

Tibiotarsal bone

Question 51

why can you not use the femur for osseous fluid therapy?

Answer 51

pnemonised

Question 52

where is suffrago joint located?

Answer 52

between tibotarsal bone and tarsometatasal bone

Question 53

zygodactyl limb - digit position?

Answer 53

1st + 4th backwards 2nd + 3rd forwards

Question 54

anisodactyle limb - digit position?

Answer 54

1st backwards 2nd+3rd+4th forwards

Question 55

which bird has semi zygodactyl? digit position?

Answer 55

Osprey - possibly to do with catching fish the 4th digit is mobile - can either be 2nd, 3rd, 4th forwards, 1st digit backwards or 2nd 3rd forward and 1st and 4th backwards

Question 56

how many phalanges does each digit have>?

Answer 56

digit 1 = 2 phalanges digit 2 = 3 digit 3 = 4 digit 4= 5

Question 57

What type of larynx do birds have? But what do they not have in there larynx?

Answer 57

Rudimentary Epiglottis, thyroid or vocal cords

Question 58

What bird form doesn't have a calcified cartilage in there trachea?

Answer 58

Columbiformes

Question 59

Why is intubating cranes (and some types of penguins) diffcult? How can you maintain these species on anaestetic gas?

Answer 59

There trachea splits ventrically into a right and left passage by a midline septrum which may extend from the caudal trachea to just behind the glottis. You may need 2 ET tubes/circuits, air sac canulars to attach circuit too or maintain gas by face mask