Birds in Veterinary Practice – Comprehensive Notes (Part 1)

Passerines

Small songbirds (e.g., canaries, finches) with anisodactyl feet (three toes forward, one toe back); considered fragile and stress easily.

Psittacines/Cytisines

Parrot family birds (hookbills) with zygodactyl feet (two toes forward, two toes back); strong grasping ability; most common birds seen in clinics.

Galliforms

Ground-nesting birds such as chickens, turkeys, and quail, increasingly kept as urban pets.

Raptors

Birds of prey, often referred to wildlife rehabilitators; housing requires state/federal compliance.

Anisodactyl feet

Foot structure with three toes pointing forward and one toe pointing back, adapted for perching (found in Passerines).

Zygodactyl feet

Foot structure with two toes pointing forward and two toes pointing back, adapted for strong grasping (found in Psittacines).

Hens

Female birds.

Roosters

Male birds.

Chicks

Baby birds.

Squabs

Baby pigeons/doves, fed via crop milk.

Crop milk

A nutritive secretion produced in the crop of pigeons and doves to feed their young (squabs).

Keel

The sternum of a bird, used to assess body condition scoring based on surrounding musculature/fat.

Pterylae

Feather tracks; areas of the skin where feathers are organized and grow.

Apterae

Non-feathered areas of the skin.

Remiges

Wing feathers, including primary, secondary, and tertiary flight feathers.

Retrices

Tail feathers.

Blood feathers

New, growing feathers with a large blood supply; breakage can cause life-threatening bleeding.

Uropygial (preen) gland

A bilobed gland at the base of the tail that secretes oil for preening, waterproofing, and vitamin D absorption. Some species lack a functional gland.

Air sacs

Nine thin-walled, non-vascularized sacs (four pairs and one singular) that extend throughout the bird's body, aiding respiration and lightness; gas exchange does not occur here.

Pneumatic bones

Bones that contain air sacs, making them lighter but more fragile (e.g., humerus, skull, vertebrae, pelvis).

Coelom

The large single body cavity in birds, replacing the diaphragm-separated thoracic and abdominal cavities seen in mammals.

Coana

Nasal slit located at the top of the oral cavity in birds.

Glottis

The laryngeal structure in the oral cavity that opens into the trachea.

Trachea

The windpipe in birds, characterized by complete cartilaginous rings, unlike the C-shaped rings in mammals.

Syrinx

The voice box of birds, located at the trachea-bronchial junction, responsible for vocalizations.

Crop

An esophageal extension that may store food before digestion, common in birds with high metabolic rates.

Proventriculus

The glandular stomach (true stomach) in birds that secretes acids and enzymes for chemical digestion.

Ventriculus (Gizzard)

The muscular stomach in birds, responsible for grinding food, often with the aid of grit.

Cloaca

A common posterior opening in birds for the excretion of urine, feces, and reproductive secretions.

Vent

The external opening of the cloaca.

Salpingo-hysterectomy

Surgical removal of the oviduct and uterus, used in refractory cases of reproductive diseases in birds.

Avian bornavirus (PDD)

Proventricular Dilatation Disease, a neurologic disease causing impaired gastrointestinal motility, regurgitation, weight loss, and lethargy with a poor prognosis.

PBFD (Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease)

A viral disease affecting feathers and beaks, common in parakeets, with no curative treatment.

Aspergillosis

A common fungal respiratory disease in birds caused by Aspergillus species.

Psittacosis (Parrot Fever)

A reportable bacterial respiratory infection (Chlamydophila psittaci) that can be zoonotic (transmissible to humans); some birds are asymptomatic carriers.

S.E.A.R.

A mnemonic for observing the bird: Sternal elevation, Efferent urination, Asynchronous breathing, Respiratory rate. (This is an inferred term from 'sear' and 'nape region' in the context of observation, though 'sear