Avian Anatomy

Question 1

What makes up a Birds Eye? (7)

Answer 1

1.Sclerotic ring: bony structure around eye; protects eye
2. Large: rely on vision for food
3. Independent movement
4. Limited eyelid
5. Flat eyeball: eye always clear, vision doesn’t change when flying and when in water.
6. Binocular vision
7. Excellent vision

Question 2

What makes up bird bones? (6)

Answer 2

1. Pneumatic bones: air filled, can breathe thru bones, helps cool them down
2. Rigid bones: spine, ribs, pectoral girdle fused together
3. Small skull
4. Flexible neck
5. Short tail bones
6. Clavicle: fuse, “wish bone”

Question 3

Why do birds have flexible necks? (5)

Answer 3

1. Serves as a shock absorber when landing on branches to prevent whiplash.
2. Can adjust to center their gravity.
3. Allows them to access their preen gland.
4. Eat
5. Eye movement limited.

Question 4

How and why we measure muscles in a bird? (4)

Answer 4

1. Keel: where most of the muscle should be, can feel with hands to make sure they are big enough and not lop sided.
2. BCS: Body condition score, what keel feels like.
3. Daily weights: heave to weigh because we can’t tell how much a bird weighs because of their feathers.
4. Training

Question 5

Regurgitation vs vomiting?

Answer 5

• food comes up on its own, biody isn’t forcing it, no muscle contraction or energy, from gizzard, voluntary.
• body forces it up, major muscle contraction, involuntary.

Question 6

What is the cloaca? (4)

Answer 6

• feces, urine, eggs come out
• one tubular unit
• urates/white
• feces same color as food

Question 7

What is the function of a crop? (4)

Answer 7

1. Dilation of the esophagus
2. Most species have this (Penguins, owls, geese)
3. Used for storage and fermentation
4. Crop milk

Question 8

What is the proventriculus? (2)

Answer 8

1. Glandular
2. Digestive enzymes

Question 9

What is the ventriculus? (4)

Answer 9

1. Gizzard
2. Muscluar
3. Grinds food
4. Creates “pellets/casts”