HB BB Flashcards
1
Q
Birds are one of the largest groups of vertebrate animals on land with around how many known species?
A
10,000
2
Q
What % of bird species are adapted for flight?
A
99%
3
Q
What anatomy and physiology of birds can by used to define them? (8)
A
1) Bone structure
2) Wings
3) Feathers
4) Eyes
5) Feet
6) Egg laying
7) Eating and drinking
8) Digestion
4
Q
Who is considered one of the best fossilised links as the transitional species between the non-avian dinosaurs and the modern-day birds showing feathers and wings?
A
Archaeopteryx
5
Q
What are the largest and smallest species that currently exists?
A
9ft tall ostrich
two-inch-long bee hummingbird
6
Q
Most bird skeletons actually weigh less than the weight of all of their feathers. True or False?
A
True
7
Q
A bird’s voice box is not the larynx and vocal cords as is the case with mammals, but a bony structure that is unique to birds called
A
the syrinx
8
Q
What are some of the adaptations that has allowed birds to evolve for flight capability? (11)
A
- LUNGS have special air sacs and combined with hollow bones. It allows gasses to flow around the body more easily, meaning each breath intakes goes further and does more work than a mammal. Oxygen is exchanged on both in and out breath.
- LARGE HEARTS, in ratio to body size, bigger and stronger than a mammal. Smaller birds have a faster heart rate than larger ones. A small bird in flight can have a heartbeat over 1,000 beats per minute.
- Compared to most other species, their bodies are more compact.
- Most of their large muscles and organs are located near centre of gravity (slightly below and behind wings).
- High blood pressure.
- High metabolism.
- Vertebrae are fused for a stable air frame.
- Leg muscles close to the body and tucked in during flight.
- Their wings/forelimbs are attached closer to the centre of gravity and are father from the head than in any other animal.
- Coracoid, furcula and the scapula form a tripod in the skeleton which supports the wings.
- They also have feathers… The wing primaries and secondaries are aerodynamic giving lift as is the whole shape of the wing. With enough wind some species just need to open their wings to take off.
9
Q
Birds that have passive soaring wings are? (3)
A
- Eagle
- Stork
- Buteo
10
Q
Birds that have active soaring wings are? (3)
A
- Albatross
- Gannet
- Gull
11
Q
Birds that have elliptical wings are? (5)
A
- Sparrow
- Blackbirds
- Thrush
- Crow
- Grouse
12
Q
Birds that have high-speed wings are? (5)
A
- Swift
- Falcon
- Turn
- Sandpiper
- Duck
13
Q
Feathers serve many functions (5)
A
- Flight
- Temperature regulation
- Communication
- Waterproofing
- displays and courtships
14
Q
Even the smallest bird, such as a Robin, could have anywhere between how many feathers?
A
1000-3000
15
Q
Feathers fall into one of 7 broad categories…
A
- Wing
- Tail
- Contour
- Semiplume
- Down
- Filoplume
- Bristle
16
Q
The feathers specialized for flight. Uniformed, windproof surface, these feathers are asymmetric, with a shorter, less flexible edge, which prevents the feather twisting in flight.
A
Wing feathers
17
Q
These are similar to wing, but are arranged more in a fan shape and are used to support precision steering while in flight. Typically, there are six pairs of feathers. To some birds, these feathers have evolved into showy ornaments and are useless in assisting with flight but might come in handy for attracting a mate.
A
Tail feathers
18
Q
These are small feathers covering the bird’s body which gives the overall shape and colours, arranged in an overlapping pattern like tiles on a roof. The fluffier bases are hidden against the body and the outer-waterproof section are exposed. In some birds these are brightly coloured, in others, uniformly drab, or in camouflage colours.
A
Contour
19
Q
Often hidden below other feathers on the body with maybe only the tops exposed. They have a soft hook-like structure, rather than smooth appearance, creating a fluffy insulating layer
A
Semiplume
20
Q
similar to semiplume, except held right against the body, they are short, soft and branched widely to trap body heat. Due to being so close they have no resemblance of colour or pattern, just small and fluffy looking
A
Down
21
Q
A very short feather, which function a lot like whiskers on a mammal. They help with sensing the position of the contour feathers
A
Fioplume
22
Q
These are mostly found on the head, they protect the birds’ eyes and face, a bit like extended eyelashes on a mammal. Especially found around the beak areas and are often overlooked
A
Bristle feathers
23
Q
Feather colours are formed in two ways…
A
- Pigments in the feather themselves.
- the way light is refracted on the structure of feathers
24
Q
Pigmentation colour in birds comes from one of three groups…
A
- Carotenoids
- Melanins
- Porphyrines
25
Feather colours produced by plants, and come from either eating plant material, or eating another animal that has eaten a plant. Responsible for the bright yellows, brilliant oranges and reds seen in birds, as well as mixed shades like olive-greens.
Caroteniods
26
Occurs as tiny granules in colour or skin and feathers. They are darker colours, black, browns, pale yellows and reddish browns. The function is not just about colour, feathers are stronger and more resistant to wear, this can be noted how a lot of bird species have black feathers on their wing tips – even white birds, since these feathers are subject to a lot of wear
Melanins
27
When a bird or an animal is referred to as melanistic, it means
their body has produced more melanin than normal, giving them an almost black appearance
28
?? are produced by modifying amino acids. They fluoresce a bright red when exposed to UV light. They produce a range of feather colours such as pinks, browns reds and greens
Porphyrines
29
When do birds moult?
later summer into autumn
30
The eyes can account for what % of the bird’s head weight
15%
31
Unequal toes – what most birds have from waders, to birds of prey, one toe is always longer
Anisodactylie
32
Toes arranged symmetrically in pairs – seen a lot in woodpeckers, parrots, or birds that climb a lot.
Zygodactylie
33
Three toes
Tridactylie (Emus)
34
Two toes
Didactylie (Ostriches)
35
Swifts have all four toes that point forwards...
pamprodactyl
36
Similar with Aniso – with three toes forward, one toe back, except toes 2 and 3 are often fused for much of their length and sometimes they are missing toe 3 entirely - Kingfishers
syndactyle
37
The bird stomach is comprised of two organs
proventriculus and gizzard
38
Taxonomy - Kingdom, Phylum, Class
Animalia, Chordata, Aves
39
Approx how many orders of birds are there?
40
40
IUCN
International Union for Conservation of Nature
41
How many families of birds are there?
233
42
How many recorded species of bird do the UK have?
627
43
BOURC
British Ornithologist Union Record Committee
44
BOU
British Ornithologist Union
45
Bird species admitted to the List of Birds of Great Britain fall into 5 categories:
A. Species that have been recorded in an apparently natural state at least once since 1st January 1950.
B. Species that were recorded in an apparently natural state at least once between 1st January 1800 and 31st December 1949, but have not been recorded subsequently.
C. Species that, although originally introduced by man, either deliberately or accidentally, have established breeding populations derived from introduced stock, which maintain themselves without necessary recourse to further introduction.
D & E are used for record keeping only and species here are not in the British list numbers.
* Species that would be in categories A or B, except there is reasonable doubt they have ever occurred in a natural state
* Species that have been recorded as introductions, transportees or escapees from captivity and who’s breeding population are NOT believed to be self-sustaining.
46
What birds are Passeriformes? (7)
Songbirds / perching birds
1. finches
2. thrushes
3. warblers
4. robins
5. tits
6. starlings
7. corvids
47
What birds are Charadriiformes? (3)
Sea and estuary birds
1. Waders - feed by probing the mud and picking items off the surface
2. Gulls - those that take fish from the sea
3. Auks - coastal species nesting near sea cliffs and ‘fly’ underwater to catch fish
48
What birds are Strigiformes?
Owls (5 natives)
49
What birds are Piciformes?
Woodpeckers (and migrant Wrynecks)
50
What birds are Anseriformes? (3)
Waterfowl
1. Ducks
2. Geese
3. Swans
51
What birds are Galliformes? (2)
Terrestrial species, feeding and nesting on the ground
1. Grouse species - Capercaille & Ptarmigan
2. Partridges, quail, pheasant
52
What birds are Gaviiformes?
Loons/Divers
53
What birds are Procellariiformes?
all sea birds that do not fall into Charadriiformes
these birds spend most of their time on the open water - e.g Fulmars
54
What birds are Suliformes? (3)
1. Cormorants
2. Shags
3. Gannets
55
What birds are Pelecaniformes? (5)
1. Herons
2. Egrets
3. Bitterns
4. Ibis
5. Spoonbills
56
What birds are Ciconiiformes?
Storks
57
What birds are Podicipediformes?
Grebes
58
Where two organisms with a common ancestor end up as different species with different adaptations
Divergent evolution
59
Where two organisms that lack a recent common ancestor end up with similar adaptations to fit into a similar ecological niche
Convergent evolution
60
The biggest reasons for more specialist adaptations include (4)
1. competition for food between members of the same species (intraspecies competition), and with other species (interspecies competition)
2. competition for space
3. evasion from predators
4. efficiency to catch prey
61
What gland produces oil, which the birds rub their bills on and then preen their feathers?
The preen or uropyglal gland
62
Which birds do not have a preen gland? (4)
1. Pigeons
2. Doves
3. Woodpeckers
4. many of the flightless birds
63
Woodpeckers have a strong bone structure and make use of cartilage as a shock absorber called the
hyoid bone
64
Why do birds sunbathe? (5)
1. To warm up: this is especially seen in winter and on colder mornings. You waste less energy if you let the sun warm you up
2. To dry off: birds will often perch in a sunny spot after having a wash, wanting to dry as fast as possible
3. Relaxation and enjoyment: it’s hard to know without directly asking, but it is theorised that birds seem to enjoy a bit of sunbathing, getting into a relaxed, almost sleeping state while they sun in hot spots for a while;
4. To get Vitamin D
5. Pest control: Their wings and exposed feathers can reach temperatures that kill lice within ten minutes on a hot day. If not hot enough to kill the lice and mites directly, the heat on the back causes them to move to cooler areas of the body, areas where the birds can reach and preen.
65
How many species in the UK migrate?
nearly half
66
What are the two primary reasons for migration?
food and nesting
67
Threats to bird populations include (6)
1. Changes in farming practices
2. Habitat destruction
3. Overfishing and ocean pollution
4. Persecution
5. Other human causes and
6. Climate change
68
Field systems typically used to have the following features: (7)
1. Smaller, more manageable size, strip field system where there was a range of management within one field;
2. Mixed crops within the same field;
3. All farming done by hand or by horse; slight spillage of seed;
4. Ploughed once a year. Fields would be chosen for a spring crop or an autumn crop, or be left fallow. Fallowed fields are good sites for ground nesting birds due to a lack of disturbance;
5. A lot of hedge boundaries;
6. Lack of chemical usage;
7. Smaller numbers of livestock
69
With the introduction of this mechanisation, farming has undergone changes such as: (13)
1. Monoculture: reduction in diversity;
2. More efficient harvesting lead to a lack of spilled seeds and crops, and less winter stalks as autumn wheat is planted instead of spring wheat;
3. Use of fertilisers: absence of leaving fields fallow;
4. Using up as much space as possible: the loss of wild borders;
5. Removal of wilder grass species for faster growing, uniform grass species with low diversity;
6. Use of pesticides and insecticides;
7. Removal of field boundaries - less breeding grounds for birds;
8. Extensive mowing of existing hedges, which reduces the overall quality;
9. Removal of forest areas and trees to make room for more fields;
10. Herd sizes being bigger, which has resulted in overgrazing, reducing the height and quality of meadows and grassland, and damage of hedgerows;
11. Landscapes that were previously deemed unsuitable for agricultural crops are now being used such as upland and lowland heathlands;
12. Field drainage to make fields that get boggy, more usable. That means a loss of wetland habitats and damp areas for more soil invertebrates;
13. Fertiliser and chemical run off into streams and watercourses can affect plant and invertebrates
70
How much of the UK is used for farmland?
64%
71
Specialist farmland birds include: (4)
1. corn bunting
2. grey partridge
3. turtle dove
4. tree sparrow
72
What % of seabirds have some sort of plastic in their stomachs?
90%
73
Other human influences on declining numbers: (7)
1. Cat ownership: the RSPB estimates that UK domestics cats kill on average 27 million birds over spring;
2. Windows: BTO estimated that around 100 million birds strike windows each year; it’s estimated that around one-third of those impacts were fatal.
3. Feeding birds potentially has a down side: dominance by species
4. Artificial gardens: these greatly affect the availability of feeding and breeding places for bird species.
5. Car collision has lead to declines in birds, especially amongst birds with less manoeuvrability;
6. Wildfire, especially through intentional arson or from people having BBQs in sensitive habitats.
7. Egg collecting, especially of rare birds or birds of prey. Although egg collecting has been illegal since 1954, it still happens.
74
What are the top three causes of bird deaths in the UK?
1. Habitat destruction
2. Cats and
3. Window impacts
75
How many of UK species are affected in some way by climate change?
one-third
76
Climate change affects bird populations through: (7)
1. Changes in seasonal temperatures affecting migratory birds resulting in some staying longer, or not leaving at all, then being caught out when seasons suddenly change.
2. Extremes in weather causing stress to invertebrates (which are greatly affected by heat) and to fruiting plant species, which often results in less fruit being produced under drought conditions in spring and summer.
3. Milder springs seeing food sources flourish early. Spring flowers and invertebrates emerge earlier with warming springs, so bird species that normally breed in time for the height of food in late spring or early summer have found that they have missed out, especially migratory birds;
4. Sea level rises affect many coastal habitats, including birds who nest on beaches at coastlines;
5. Increased heat resulting in an increase of wildfires;
6. Increased droughts leading to reductions in water sources;
7. Overall overheating with increasing temperatures.
77
Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, a wild bird is defined as
any species of bird that is resident or a visitor to the European Territory of any member state, in a wild state.
78
All birds, their nests and eggs are protected by law and it is thus an offence, with certain exceptions to: (7)
1. Intentionally kill, injure or take any wild bird;
2. Intentionally take, damage or destroy the nest of any wild bird while it is in use or being built;
3. Intentionally take or destroy the egg of any wild bird;
4. Have in one’s possession or control any wild bird, dead or alive, or any part of a wild bird, which has been taken in contravention of the act or the Protection of Birds Act 1954;
5. Use traps or similar items to kill, injure or take wild birds;
6. Have in one’s possession or control any bird of a species occurring on Schedule 4 of the Act unless registered, and in most cases ringed, in accordance with the Secretary of State’s regulations;
7. Intentionally or recklessly disturb any wild bird listed on Schedule 1 while it is nest building, or at a nest containing eggs or young, or disturb the dependent young of such a bird.
79
Schedule 4 birds are: (8)
1. Osprey
2. Marsh Harrier
3. Montagu Harrier
4. Goshawk
5. Merlin
6. White-tailed Eagle
7. Golden Eagle
8. Honey Buzzard
80
Exceptions to basic protection include (5)
1. An authorised person (e.g. a landowner or occupier) may kill or take, in certain situations and by certain methods, so called ‘pest species’ and destroy or take the nest or eggs of such a bird. This is permissible under the terms of General Licences issues by the government;
2. It is not illegal to destroy a nest, egg or bird if it can be shown that the act was the incidental result of a lawful operation which could not reasonably have been avoided;
3. A person may kill or injure a wild bird, other than one included on Schedule 1, if they can show, subject to a number of specific conditions, that their action was necessary to preserve public health or air safety, prevent spread of disease, or prevent serious damage to livestock, crops, vegetables, fruit, growing timber, or fisheries (contact Defra for more information);
4. A person may take or kill (or injure in attempting to kill) a bird listed on Schedule 2, Part I, outside the close season;
5. A person may take a wild bird if the bird has been injured other than by their own hand and their sole purpose is to tend it and then release it when no longer disabled. These provisions enable people to care for sick, injured or orphaned birds. Additionally, a wild bird may be killed if it is so seriously disabled as to be beyond recovery. Sick and injured birds listed on Schedule 4 should be registered with Defra.
81
Examples of woodland types include (6)
1. Deciduous/broadleaf woodland
2. Coniferous woodland
3. Ancient woodland
4. Wet woodland
5. Plantation woodland
6. Temperate rainforest – globally very rare
82
How many birds rely on British coasts and wetland areas?
12.5 million
83
What birds are Accipitriformes? (3)
1. Buzzard
2. Ospray
3. Red Kite
84
What birds are Falconiformes? (4)
1. Common Kestrel
2. Merlin
3. Hobby
4. Peregrine
85
What birds are Gruiformes? (4)
1. Cranes
2. Rails
3. Crakes
4. Coots
86
What birds are Otidiformes?
Bustards
87
What birds are Columbiformes?
Pigeons and Doves
88
What birds are Psittaciformes?
Parrots
89
What birds are Cuculiformes?
Cuckoo
90
What birds are Caprimulgiformes?
Nightjars
91
What birds are Coraciformes?
Kingfishers
(Rollers, Bee-eaters, motmots and todies)
92
What birds are Apodiformes? (3)
1. Hummingbirds
2. Swifts
3. Tree Swifts
93
What birds are Bucerotiformes? (2)
1. Hornbills
2. Hoopoe
