LO1 - Avian Flashcards
1
Q
What are the normal parameters for an African grey parrot?
A
Temperature - 40 to 42
Respiratory Rate - 15 to 45 bpm
Heart Rate - 100 to 300 bpm
2
Q
What are the normal parameters for a cockatiel?
A
Temperature - 40 to 42
Respiratory Rate - 40 to 50 bpm
Heart Rate - 150 to 350 bpm
3
Q
What are the normal parameters for lovebirds?
A
Temperature - 40 to 42
Respiratory Rate - 60 to 100 bpm
Heart Rate - 250 to 400 bpm
4
Q
What are the normal parameters for budgies?
A
Temperature - 40 to 42
Respiratory Rate - 60 to 100 bpm
Heart Rate - 260 to 400 bpm
5
Q
Why do birds have a celomic cavity?
A
- birds don’t have a separate thoracic and abdominal cavity
- this is as they don’t have a diaphragm
6
Q
Where is the celomic cavity?
A
- it extends from the first thoracic vertebrae to the vent
7
Q
What is included in the celomic cavity?
A
- lungs
- air sacs
- reproductive tract
- gastrointestinal tract
- all organs
- heart
8
Q
What are the 2 subclasses of skeletons?
A
Ratites = flightless emu, ostrich and kiwi
Carinates = rest of the avian species
(this is based on the anatomical structure of the sternum)
9
Q
What is the structure of their bones?
A
- very light and hollow bones
- bones are muscular and strong
- some bones are fused to provide plates that are strong and simplifies movement
10
Q
What is the structure of the skull?
A
- it is lightweight
- it is fused with no suture lines
- has pockets of air within
- singular occipital condyle allows great flexibility of the neck
11
Q
What is the function of the skull?
A
- provides protection to the brain
12
Q
What is the beak made of?
A
- keratin
13
Q
Why does the beak differ?
A
- differs depending on dietary requirements of the bird
14
Q
What are the bones of the beak?
A
- mandible and maxilla which they can move
- elastic hing at the caudal skull, which allows a larger gap
- moveable quadrant bone which assists in creating a gap between the jaws
15
Q
What does the atlas of the bird allow?
A
- allows greater range of movement than the mammal
- this is due to it having a ball and socket type joint
16
Q
Describe the structure of their vertebrae?
A
- greater number of cervical vertebrae = 11 to 25
- 3 to 10 thoracic vertebrae which are very rigid and most are fused together
17
Q
What process do the ribs have?
A
- uncinate process
- adds strength to the rib cage
18
Q
What is the synasacram made up of?
A
- made up of roughly 10 to 23 vertebrae
- contains the thoracic, lumbar, sacral and caudal
19
Q
What is the pygostyle?
A
- caudal vertebrae which is fused together into a flattened bone
- acts as a support for the tail feathers
20
Q
What makes up the forelimb?
A
- pectoral girdle
- made up of clavicle, coracoid and scapula
- wing
21
Q
What is the clavicle?
A
- braces the wing
- site for muscular attachment
22
Q
What is the coracoid?
A
- a short and strong bone
- prevents wing muscles compressing the thorax
23
Q
What is the scapula?
A
- long blade like bone
- varies in length depending on the species
- extends caudally as far as the pelvis
24
Q
What is the wing?
A
- has fewer bones at carpus and metacarpals than mammals
25
What does the wing consist of?
- humerus
- radius
- ulna
- carpal bones
- cargo metacarpus
- digits
26
What is the hindlimb made up of?
- pelvic girdle
- pelvic limbs
27
What is the pelvic girdle?
- rotates backwards and forwards for perching and locomotion
- is incomplete in most species, this is to allow passage of eggs
28
What are the pelvic limbs?
- femur
- tibiotarsus
- fibula
- tarsometatarsus
- metatarsal bones
- digits (normally 4)
29
What are pneumatic bones?
- hollow bones which can be fused together to crate a lighter body weight for flight
- allows gas exchange using air sacs
30
What bones are classed as pneumatic?
- skull
- humerus
- clavicle
- keel
- pelvic girdle
- lumbar
- sacrum
31
What is the keel?
- the site for muscular attachment of the muscles of flight
32
What are medullary bones?
- long bones
- they act as a storage of calcium for egg production
33
What bones are classed as medullary?
- tibia
- fibula
- pubic bones
- ribs
- ulna
- digits
- scapula
34
What is the structure of the skin?
- has epidermis, a thin outer layer and the dermis
- keratin which is the scales, feathers and outer layer of the beak
35
What glands do birds have, and what do they do?
- they don’t have sweat glands
- have preen glands on the upper surface of the tail
- they have an oily fatty surface which spreads through feathers and cleans them
- is also waterproof
36
What are the function of feathers?
- flight
- protection
- thermoregulation
- camouflage
- communication
37
What is the anatomy of flight?
- wings provide lift and propulsive force, controlled by a change in feather position
- primary feathers are for propulsion
- secondary feathers provide lift
38
What are the components of the GI tract?
- mouth beak
- tongue
- saliva
- crop
- ventriculus/gizzard
- stomach
- enzymes
- small intestine
- large intestine
- cloaca
39
What is the role of the beak/mouth?
- indicates mastication process
- used for tearing meat, cracking seeds, straining feed particles, spearing and probing
40
What is the structure of the oesophagus?
- starts at mouth and ends at proventriculus
- lies to right side of the neck
- lined with stratified epithelium containing mucous glands
41
What is the role of the crop?
- allows reduced eating time
- storage device from food to be carried away, lubricates feedstuffs and further enables digestion
42
What can pigeons produce?
- crop milk
- which is regurgitated to feed their young
43
What are the 2 components of the stomach?
- glandular proventriculus
- muscular ventriculus
44
What is the glandular proventriculus?
- initiates chemical digestion
- indigestible material is regurgitated into pellets in raptors
45
What is the muscular ventriculus?
- made up of striated muscle
- allows the grinding of food
- varies depending on the bird, carnivorous birds have no ventriculus
46
What is the structure and role of the pancreas?
- slightly more developed
- possibly compensation for lack of saliva and chewing
- produces enzymes for digesting carbohydrates, fats and proteins
47
What is the structure of the liver?
- has 2 distinct lobes
- each with own duct leading to the small intestine
48
What is the structure of the small intestine?
- short
- highly convoluted
- thin walled
- narrow
- intestinal epithelium has fold and vili
49
What is the role of the large intestine?
- can contain 2 large caeca
- this enables more micro fermentation of a high fibre diet
- also enables bacterial digestion of complex carbohydrates
50
What does the cloaca do?
- it connects the digestive tract, urinary tract and genital tract
51
What are the 3 parts of the cloaca?
Coprodeum = collects faeces
Urodeum = collects urine
Proctodeum = urine and faeces combines and is excreted
52
What is excretion in birds?
- urine and faeces combines and is passed as urate
- the white outer ring is urine
- the inner brown ring is faeces
53
What does the respiratory system consist of?
- external nares
- nasal cavity
- oral cavity
- glottis
- trachea
- syrinx
- bronchi in lungs
- mesobronchi
54
What is the role of the nasal cavity?
- breathe through their nose or mouth
- air passes through nares into the choana
55
What is the structure of the choana?
- located on the roof of the mouth
- connects the oropharynx inside mouth with the nasal cavity
- numerous projections or papillae found at the edge of the choana
56
What is the structure of the trachea?
- relatively long but wider in diameter
- classed as tracheal, tracheobronchial or bronchial depending on the location
- glottis opens into trachea
- larynx is at the start of the trachea
57
What does the trachea consist of?
- cartilage
- membranes
- muscles
58
What is the role of the syrinx?
- where sound is produced by vibration of air
- consists of muscles and air sacs
59
What is the structure of the lungs?
- small
- compact
- rigid
- attached to vertebrae and ribs
- bright red
- vascular
- inelastic
60
What are the 3 different types of bronchi?
- primary
- secondary
- tertiary (parabronchi)
61
What is the role of the tertiary bronchi?
- makes up the bulk of the lung tissue
- the site of gas exchange
- the bronchi in lungs has complete cartilage rings
62
Do birds have a diaphragm?
No
63
How many air sacs do they have?
- 3 pairs of air sacs and 2 singles = 8 total
- some species have 2 cervical air sacs, making 9 in total
64
What are the functions of the air sacs?
- to create unidirectional flow of air through the lungs, maximising oxygen concentration
- reservoirs of air
- warmth and moisture
- thermoregulation
- buoyancy for water birds
- extends into bones
65
What 4 stages are involved in the respiration cycle?
1st inspiration
1st expiration
2nd inspiration
2nd expiration
66
What occurs during 1st inspiration?
- air is taken in through the nasal cavity
- it then travels to the larynx then the trachea
- then the trachea to the syrinx
- divides into 2 streams
- travels to the posterior caudal air sacs and a small amount to the lungs
67
What occurs during 1st expiration?
- air is moved from posterior air sacs to the bronchi in lungs
- it is then moved to blood capillaries where carbon dioxide and oxygen is exchanged
68
What occurs during 2nd inspiration?
- the air moves to the cranial air sacs
69
What occurs during 2nd expiration?
- air is moved out of the cranial air sac via the syrinx to the trachea
- then to larynx
- and then out the nasal cavity
70
What factors may increase respiratory rate?
- stress
- heat
- exercise
- pain
71
What factors may decrease respiratory rate?
- sedation
- anaesthesia
- illness
