zoology birds exam

7 characteristics of birds

vertebrates (long, hollow bones), terrestrial, limbs/wings, skin and feathers, endothermic, 4 chambered heart, oviparous

buccopharyngeal

breathe through the mouth and nose

cutaneous

breathe through the skin

pulmonary

breathe through lungs. birds are pulmonary

oviparous

lays eggs. birds lay eggs.

viviparous

live birth

ovoviviparous

eggs hatch inside mom and then baby comes out

gelatinous vs leather vs calcium eggs

Different types of egg coverings in birds, categorized by their texture and composition. Gelatinous eggs are soft and jelly-like, leather eggs are tough and pliable, while calcium eggs have a hard, calcified shell. birds lay calcium eggs

are birds endo or exothermic, and is this poikilothermic or homeothermic

birds are endo and homeothermic, because their feathers insulate them and they generate heat from the food they eat

what are the primary forms of nitrogen waste

ammonia: toxic byproduct of protein and nucleic acid metabolism.

urea: main nitrogenous waste product in urine.

uric acid: when the body breaks down chemicals called purines

the primary form of bird waste is…

uric acid

what is sexual selection in birds

natural selection rising through preference by one sex for certain characteristics in individuals of the other sex.

what do female dark-eyed juncos use to choose male birds for breeding?

the amount of white in their tail feathers

what was the archaeopteryx

bird like dinos that lived in the jurassic period. it was a bird although it was an ancient one with dino features

saurischians vs ornithischians, and which was an ancestor to birds

saurischians: carnivores and walk on two legs

ornithischians: herbavores and walk on four legs

saurischians were the ancestor to birds

describe the evolution of the bird foot

evolved from the scaly feet of a dino leading to a wide variety of specialized forms

anisodactyl vs zygodactyl

anisodactyl: 3 toes facing front and one facing back

zygodactyl: 2 toes facing front and 2 toes facing back

didactyl

only have two toes

5 types of bird feathers

wing, tail, contour, semiplume, and down feather

what are the purposes of each feather type?

wing: allows bird to lift in flight

tail: helps to steer in flight

contour: keeps the bird dry

semiplume: helps the bird stay warm

down: traps body heat and allows bird to stay warm

3 reasons feathers developed

thermal insulation, communication/display, aerodynamics. thermal regulation likely developed first

4 migratory pathways found in north america

atlantic, mississippi, central, and pacific. central pathway is found in colorado

permanent resident

does not migrate, and remains in the same general location

short/medium/long range migrants

short: only travel a few hundred miles

medium: travel several hundred miles seasonally

long: travel thousands of miles, often flying nonstop for days.

both medium and long stay within a continent to find better weather or food

how do birds know where they are migrating

navigational cues, position of the sun and stars, and the earth’s magnetic field

cardinal

robin

blue jay

goldfinch

peacock

wood thrush

dark eyed junco (sparrow)

blue footed booby