Chapter 4 Birds-Section 1

Question 1

What characteristics do all birds share?

Answer 1

1. Birds are endothermic
2. Birds have a vertebrae
3. Birds have feathers
4. Birds have a 4 chamber heart
5. Birds lay eggs

Question 2

What are some adaptations birds have for flight?

Answer 2

1) Bird’s bones are nearly hollow making the bird lightweight
2) The bones of the bird’s for limbs form wings
3) Flying birds have large chest muscles that move the wings
4) Feathers

Question 3

Do any other animals have feathers?

Answer 3

No, only birds

Question 4

What kind of feather is a large feather that gives shape to a birds body?

Answer 4

Contour feather

Question 5

What are long contour feathers that extend beyond the body on the wings and tail called? And what do they do?

Answer 5

Flight feathers. They help steer and balance.

Question 6

What are short fluffy feathers called and what do they do?

Answer 6

Down feathers. They trap heat and keep the bird warm.

Question 7

How do you birds get oxygen into their bodies into their cells?

Answer 7

Birds have a system of air sacs in their bodies. This system connects to the lungs. The air sacs enable birds to obtain more oxygen from each breath of air.

Question 8

How many chambers are in a bird’s heart?

Answer 8

Four-two atria and two ventricles

Question 9

What is the advantage of a four chambered heart over a three chamber heart?

Answer 9

The oxygen rich blood does not mix with the oxygen poor blood. Therefore, blood carried to the cells of the body has plenty of oxygen.

Question 10

What does a bird use to capture grip and handle it’s food?

Answer 10

It’s bill

Question 11

What helps birds feed quickly and efficiently? Give an example.

Answer 11

The shape of the bird’s bill. A duck’s bill acts like a kitchen strainer, separating out seeds and tiny animals from muddy pond water.

Question 12

What is the internal storage tank inside a bird called? And what does it do?

Answer 12

A crop. It is used for storing food inside the body after swallowing it. It is connected to the stomach.

Question 13

How many parts does a bird stomach have?

Answer 13

Two

Question 14

What is a thick walled, muscular part of the stomach called in a bird?

Answer 14

Gizzard

Question 15

What are the functions of the two parts of the stomach?

Answer 15

In the first part, the food is bathed in chemicals that begin to break it down. Then the food moves to the gizzard. The gizzard squeezes and grinds the partially digested food.

Question 16

True or false

All birds have teeth.

Answer 16

False

Question 17

What two things help birds maintain their body temperature?

Answer 17

1) Energy from food… An average bird eats food equal to about a quarter of it’s body weight.
2) Down feathers specialize in trapping heat. They are like trapping a warm blanket of air next to the bird’s skin.

Question 18

What type of fertilization do birds use?

Answer 18

Birds have internal fertilization and lay eggs.

Question 19

How is a bird egg different from a reptile egg?

Answer 19

Bird egg shells are harder than reptile egg shells

Question 20

How do you bird eggs develop?

Answer 20

Bird eggs develop at a temperature close to the body temperature of the parent bird. So the parent bird usually incubates the eggs by sitting on them to keep them warm.

Question 21

How long do most parent birds stay with their babies?

Answer 21

Most parent birds feed and protect their young at least until they’re able to fly.

Question 22

How many species of birds are there?

Answer 22

Almost 10,000 species

Question 23

Birds are adapted for what? Give two examples.

Answer 23

Birds are adapted for living in diverse environments. Long legs and toes of wading birds, such as herons and cranes make wading easy. The claws of perching birds, such as mockingbirds, can lock onto a branch or other perch.

Question 24

What are three types of adaptations that allow birds to survive in diverse environments?

Answer 24

Adaptations in the shape of their legs, claws, and bills.

Question 25

What are three roles birds play in the environment?

Answer 25

Pollinators, carrying seeds of a plant to new locations, and chief predators of animals that maybe pests.