Orders Of Birds

Question 1

Order Struthioniformes

Answer 1

Ostrich
. Largest living birds.
* Flightless. Native to Africa.
* Long legs, long necks.
* Can run up to 40 mph (fastest
land bird).
* No keel, reduced wing bones.
* Two toes on feet.
* Precocial young.
* Urine and feces are
eliminated separately.
* Males have an external
copulatory organ (penis)

Question 2

Order Rheiformes

Answer 2

Rheas
- Large, flightless birds.
* Native to South
America.
* Long legs, long necks.
* No keel, reduced wing
bones.
* Three toes.
* Precocial young.
* Urine and feces are
eliminated separately.

Question 3

Order Apterygiformes

Answer 3

Kiwis
Native to New Zealand.
* Nocturnal.
* Flightless. Vestigial wings.
* No keel on sternum.
* Bill is long and slightly curved, and the nostrils are at the
tip to detect prey underground.
* Amongst birds, have the smallest eyes compared to
body weight. Vision is reduced.
* Bristly feathers with two branches.
* Lay one egg. Eggs are the largest in proportion to body
size (up to 25% of the female’s weight) of any bird.
* Precocial young

Question 4

Order Casuariiformes

Answer 4

Emu and
Cassowaries
Large, flightless birds.
* Native to Australia and New Guinea.
* Long legs, long necks.
* Vestigial wings.
* No keel on sternum.
* Three toes on feet.
* Large claws on toes are used for defense.
* Precocial young.
* Males have an external copulatory organ (penis).
* Cassowaries have a casque on the tops of their heads. May help to
amplify sounds, facilitate movement through underbrush, or regulate
body temperature.

Question 5

Order Anseriformes

Answer 5

Ducks,
Geese, Swans
Aquatic birds that swim well.
* Palmate feet with a slightly elevated hind toe.
* Bill flat, wide, and rounded at end with combed
serrations along edges. The form and function of
these serrations vary according to feeding
ecology.
* Dense coat of firm, waterproof feathers with a
layer of down underneath.
* Plumage is often sexually dimorphic, males have
a penis.
* Precocial young

Question 6

Order Galliformes

Answer 6

Pheasants,
Grouse, Quail
Medium to large terrestrial fowl-like birds
with strong legs and heavy feet.
* Wings are rounded, keel is well-
developed.
* Large, muscular gizzard.
* Well-developed aftershaft.
* Large clutches with precocial young.
* Bill short, conical with a curved upper
edge (culmen).

Question 7

Order Phoenicopteriformes

Answer 7

Flamingos
Long necks with elongated vertebrae.
* Long legs with palmate feet.
* Pink coloration, pigments are obtained from food.
* Specialized, filter-feeding bills that are bent downward in
the middle. The margins of the bill have long lamellae
used for filtering small organisms out of the mud and
water. During feeding the bill is placed in the water
upside down.
* Construct tall, cone-shaped nests of mud.
* Precocial young.
* Like pigeons, produce a crop milk rich in fat and protein
to feed to young.

Question 8

Order Podicipediformes

Answer 8

Grebes
Diving fish-eaters.
* Toes are lobed and tarsi are laterally
compressed for ease of motion through water.
* Legs are located far back on body – this
facilitates swimming but makes walking on land
difficult.
* Elaborate courtship displays.
* Build floating platform nests of aquatic
vegetation.
* Precocial young.
* Carry young on back, even when diving.

Question 9

Order Columbiformes

Answer 9

Pigeons,
Doves
Plump birds with small heads, short bills, and
short legs.
* Large crop produces crop “milk”, which is
regurgitated and fed to the young much like
mammalian milk.
* Muscular gizzard.
* Clutch size always equals two.
* Altricial young.
* Unusual in that they can drink by sucking water
instead of tilting head back.