Chapter 4 Birds-Section 1 Flashcards
What characteristics do all birds share?
- Birds are endothermic
- Birds have a vertebrae
- Birds have feathers
- Birds have a 4 chamber heart
- Birds lay eggs
What are some adaptations birds have for flight?
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
Do any other animals have feathers?
No, only birds
What kind of feather is a large feather that gives shape to a birds body?
Contour feather
What are long contour feathers that extend beyond the body on the wings and tail called? And what do they do?
Flight feathers. They help steer and balance.
What are short fluffy feathers called and what do they do?
Down feathers. They trap heat and keep the bird warm.
How do you birds get oxygen into their bodies into their cells?
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.
How many chambers are in a bird’s heart?
Four-two atria and two ventricles
What is the advantage of a four chambered heart over a three chamber heart?
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.
What does a bird use to capture grip and handle it’s food?
It’s bill
What helps birds feed quickly and efficiently? Give an example.
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.
What is the internal storage tank inside a bird called? And what does it do?
A crop. It is used for storing food inside the body after swallowing it. It is connected to the stomach.
How many parts does a bird stomach have?
Two
What is a thick walled, muscular part of the stomach called in a bird?
Gizzard
What are the functions of the two parts of the stomach?
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.
True or false
All birds have teeth.
False
What two things help birds maintain their body temperature?
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.
What type of fertilization do birds use?
Birds have internal fertilization and lay eggs.
How is a bird egg different from a reptile egg?
Bird egg shells are harder than reptile egg shells
How do you bird eggs develop?
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.
How long do most parent birds stay with their babies?
Most parent birds feed and protect their young at least until they’re able to fly.
How many species of birds are there?
Almost 10,000 species
Birds are adapted for what? Give two examples.
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.
What are three types of adaptations that allow birds to survive in diverse environments?
Adaptations in the shape of their legs, claws, and bills.
What are three roles birds play in the environment?
Pollinators, carrying seeds of a plant to new locations, and chief predators of animals that maybe pests.
