expanded_bird_flashcards

Question 1

What is the unique feature that defines birds?

Answer 1

Feathers.

Question 2

What are the forelimbs of birds adapted into?

Answer 2

Wings, though not all birds can fly.

Question 3

What type of beak do birds have?

Answer 3

Horny, keratinized beaks without teeth.

Question 4

What type of egg do all birds lay?

Answer 4

Shelled eggs.

Question 5

What skeletal feature helps birds fly?

Answer 5

Light, hollow bones called pneumatized bones.

Question 6

What respiratory adaptation do birds have?

Answer 6

Lungs with continuous airflow through parabronchi.

Question 7

What are the two largest flight muscles in birds?

Answer 7

Pectoralis and supracoracoideus muscles.

Question 8

What allows birds to grasp perches without falling?

Answer 8

The toe-locking mechanism in their feet.

Question 9

What are contour feathers?

Answer 9

Feathers that streamline the bird’s body and aid in flight.

Question 10

What are down feathers?

Answer 10

Feathers used for insulation.

Question 11

What is molting?

Answer 11

The process of shedding old feathers and growing new ones.

Question 12

What bone supports flight muscles?

Answer 12

The keel of the sternum.

Question 13

How many bird species exist worldwide?

Answer 13

Over 10,400 species.

Question 14

What are the two major bird classifications?

Answer 14

Paleognathae (flightless birds) and Neognathae (flying birds).

Question 15

What is the crop in birds?

Answer 15

A storage organ in the esophagus.

Question 16

What is the function of the gizzard?

Answer 16

Grinding food mechanically.

Question 17

What are paired ceca?

Answer 17

Fermentation chambers in herbivorous birds.

Question 18

What is the cloaca?

Answer 18

A common opening for excretion, reproduction, and waste elimination.

Question 19

How many chambers does a bird’s heart have?

Answer 19

Four chambers.

Question 20

What excretory product do birds produce?

Answer 20

Uric acid.

Question 21

What is the function of salt glands in marine birds?

Answer 21

Removing excess salt from the body.

Question 22

What part of the brain is well-developed in birds?

Answer 22

The cerebrum and dorsal ventricular ridge.

Question 23

What special eye structure do birds have?

Answer 23

The pecten, which provides nutrients and oxygen to the eye.

Question 24

How does bird vision compare to mammals?

Answer 24

Birds generally have better vision and larger eyes relative to their body size.

Question 25

What is monogamy in birds?

Answer 25

Pairing with one partner for a breeding season or life.

Question 26

What is polygyny?

Answer 26

One male mating with multiple females.

Question 27

What is polyandry?

Answer 27

One female mating with multiple males.

Question 28

What are precocial young?

Answer 28

Birds that hatch with feathers and can move shortly after birth.

Question 29

What are altricial young?

Answer 29

Birds that hatch naked and helpless, requiring parental care.

Question 30

What are elliptical wings?

Answer 30

Wings used by forest-dwelling birds for maneuverability.

Question 31

What are high-speed wings?

Answer 31

Wings used by birds that feed during flight or migrate long distances.

Question 32

What are soaring wings?

Answer 32

Wings used by seabirds for dynamic soaring over oceans.

Question 33

What are high-lift wings?

Answer 33

Wings that provide high lift at slow speeds for soaring birds.

Question 34

What are the benefits of migration for birds?

Answer 34

Increases breeding space, reduces competition, and avoids climate extremes.

Question 35

How do birds navigate during migration?

Answer 35

Using the sun, stars, Earth’s magnetic field, and visual landmarks.

Question 36

What is homing ability in birds?

Answer 36

The ability to return to a specific location over long distances.

Question 37

What makes bird bones suitable for flight?

Answer 37

They are lightweight and filled with air cavities called pneumatized bones.

Question 38

What is the furcula?

Answer 38

The fused clavicles of birds that act like a spring during flight.

Question 39

What are the key flight muscles in birds?

Answer 39

Pectoralis for wing depression and supracoracoideus for wing elevation.

Question 40

What are air sacs?

Answer 40

Structures in birds that help with continuous airflow and cooling.

Question 41

How does air flow through bird lungs?

Answer 41

It flows unidirectionally through parabronchi, ensuring continuous oxygen supply.

Question 42

What is the role of the syrinx?

Answer 42

The sound-producing organ located at the base of a bird’s trachea.

Question 43

How does a bird’s heart rate relate to its size?

Answer 43

Smaller birds have faster heart rates than larger birds.

Question 44

What type of red blood cells do birds have?

Answer 44

Nucleated and biconvex red blood cells.

Question 45

How do birds regulate body temperature?

Answer 45

Through rapid breathing, panting, and using feathers for insulation.

Question 46

What is oviparity?

Answer 46

Reproduction by laying eggs.

Question 47

What is unique about bird testes during breeding season?

Answer 47

They enlarge up to 300 times their normal size.

Question 48

Where does fertilization occur in birds?

Answer 48

In the oviduct.

Question 49

What materials do birds use for nest building?

Answer 49

Mud, twigs, leaves, grass, and even feathers.

Question 50

What is a brood patch?

Answer 50

A featherless area on a bird’s abdomen used to keep eggs warm.

Question 51

What is hatching synchrony?

Answer 51

When all eggs in a clutch hatch at nearly the same time.

Question 52

What is the Jacobson’s organ in birds?

Answer 52

A sensory organ used for detecting chemicals.

Question 53

How do birds use ultraviolet light?

Answer 53

For navigation and mate selection.

Question 54

What is flocking behavior?

Answer 54

Birds gathering in large groups for protection and easier mate finding.

Question 55

What are euryphagous birds?

Answer 55

Birds that eat a wide variety of foods.

Question 56

What are stenophagous birds?

Answer 56

Birds that specialize in specific types of food.

Question 57

What is a raptor’s beak specialized for?

Answer 57

Tearing flesh.

Question 58

What do nectar-feeding birds use for feeding?

Answer 58

Long, slender beaks and extendable tongues.

Question 59

What type of wings do seabirds have?

Answer 59

Soaring wings with high aspect ratios.

Question 60

Which birds have elliptical wings?

Answer 60

Birds living in forests, requiring maneuverability.

Question 61

What birds have dynamic soaring wings?

Answer 61

Oceanic birds like albatrosses.

Question 62

What is passive soaring?

Answer 62

Using thermals to gain height with minimal energy expenditure.

Question 63

What is territorial behavior in birds?

Answer 63

Defending a specific area for feeding, mating, or nesting.

Question 64

What is courtship display?

Answer 64

Behavior used by birds to attract mates, often involving dance or song.

Question 65

What is cooperative breeding?

Answer 65

When birds work together to raise young.

Question 66

What is lekking?

Answer 66

Males gathering to perform displays and attract females.