Avian Anatomy & Physiology (JTA 1)

Question 1

What are the defining anatomic features of the family Cacatuidae?

Answer 1

Presence of a gallbladder

Superficial position of left carotid artery

ossified orbiatl ring in the skull

abscense of blue and green plumage

movable feathered crest

Fowler 8 Psittacines

Question 2

What foot pattern do parrots have?

Answer 2

Zygodactyl

2,3 forward - 1,4 backward

Question 3

What unique features do lories & lorikeets have to help them feed on nectar & pollen?

Answer 3

Erectile dermal papillae on the tongue

Fowler 8 Ch 21

Question 4

What parrots lack a uropygial gland?

Answer 4

Parrots - amazons & anodorhynchus (Hyacinth) - Fowler 8 Ch 21

Question 5

What unique features of the parrot bill facilitates an increased gape adn shock absorption (for cracking nuts)?

Answer 5

Articulation of the upper mandible in the cranium at the naso-frontal hinge

ZPP Ch 32

Question 6

What is strange about the appearnce of the gonads of some parrot species on necropsy or surgery?

Answer 6

The are pigments (dark green to black) in cockatoos & some macaws.

ZPP Ch. 32

Question 7

What is unique about the syringeal anatomy of Oscine Passerines?

Answer 7

They have complex muscle morphology that allows for complex vocalization.

Question 8

What makes the passerine genus Pitohui unique?

Answer 8

These birds have batrachotoxins in their skin and feathers.

F8

Question 9

Describe how passerine beak shape is related to diet and give examples of some groups of birds.

Answer 9

Beak shapes and diet (MMWS)

• Young passerines typically eat arthropod inverts
• Crows, thrushes, blackbirds – generalist omnivores – non-specific beak
• Hummingbirds – nectivores – long, slender
• Carnivorous birds – adapted for tearing meat vs. catching fish
• Cardinals – thick, conical – crack large seeds
• Crossbills – crossbite – open pinecones
• Chickadees – short, sturdy – hammer seeds
• Sparrows – small, light – small seeds & plant material
• Doves – soft - use gizzard to grind seed
• Aerial insectivores – broad and flat (martins) vs scoop like (nightjars, night hawks, swifts)
• Arboreal insectivores – slender – get insects from branches
• Woodpecker – drill into tree – eat ants