FNR 25150 Birds Final Exam

lamellate bill; shift/sieve-like bill type to sort through aquatic vegetation

Order Anseriformes has a common structure to adapt to aquatic environments. What is it and what is its purpose?

provide habitat to migrating and wintering waterfowl

National Wildlife Refuge Systems were initially created to:

Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Ontaria

Where were Trumpeter Swans reintroduced to?

Michigan and Wisconsin

Which populations of Trumpeter Swans winter in our area?

-habitat destruction
-aggression

What ecological concerns do managers and scientists have about reintroducing Trumpeter Swans?

True

True or False: The Trumpeter Swan is being considered to be taken off the Endangered Species list in Indiana.

Aves

Birds are in which taxonomic class?

Coraciiformes

The Eurasian Hoope is in order:

Upupidae

The Eurasian Hoope is in family:

Upupa

The Eurasian Hoope is in genus:

epops

The Eurasian Hoope is in family:

American Ornithological Society

Names of North American birds are standardized through:

TWS / Journal of Wildlife Management

What group does not recognize the names (and rules) given by the American Ornithological Society?

Common names (English & French) and Latin names and standardized capitalization

The American Ornithological Society has a checklist that gives birds their:

7

How many specimens of Archaeopteryx are there?

German stone quarries; lithography-like process from the rock plates helped

Where did all the Archaeopteryx specimens originate from?

135-150 million years ago in the late Jurassic

Archaeopteryx specimens are from _____.

60 mya; 2-3 times

Modern birds evolved _____ ago, which is ____ the younger than Archaeopteryx.

-avian feathers
-furcula

What avian features does Archaeopteryx have?

-claws on wings (exception Hoatzin)
-teeth

What non-avian feathers does Archaeopteryx have.

which group of reptiles were the ancestors

Evolution of birds from reptiles is not controversial, but _____ is.

-theropods
-thecodonts

Two common hypotheses for avian evolution:

Theropods are dinosaurs, so birds are dinosaurs descended from T. rex and others

Theropod Hypothesis:

Archaeopteryx is the "missing link" between the dinosaurs and birds

How does Archaeopteryx support Darwin's theory of evolution?

too much of a coincidence and must be faked, but specimens in 1980s that was completely video records disproved that conspiracy

What do creationists think about Archaeopteryx?

Before

Did feathers evolve before or after the first modern birds?

unsure, but probably not

Could Archaeopteryx fly?

chicken-like

Species in order Galliformes are described to be:

Chicken; Red Jungle Fowl

What is the first species in order Galliformes? What is its ancestor?

Ringed-neck Pheasant, Northern Bobwhite, Wild Turkey, Ruffed Grouse

What are some commonly mentioned species of Galliformes present in Indiana?

-Greater Prairie Chicken
-some barely hanging on in Illinois

What species was mass extirpated from Indiana?

-Attwater's Prairie Chicken
-raise hundreds yearly in captivity and each year most are poached
-need more land in Texas for refuge

What GPC subspecies in an endangered species? What is a big problem for them?

Greater Sage Grouse

Which Galliformes species was proposed for the endangered species list, but instead was left off and is managed through state initiatives?

fracking

The state-led initiatives to protect the Greater Sage Grouse were placed in order to "protect" populations while also continuing ______

-feathers
-avian bill
-skeleton

Unique avian features:

feathers

All living birds have ___, even if they are not easily recognized.

-extremely strong and lightweight which allows for weight reduction without losing strength
-water repellant
-good insulation

What are some characteristics of feathers?

replacement for the fingers because no forelimb claws and reduced digits are adaptation-tradeoffs for flight

Dr. Dunning equates the avian bill to the:

bill shape, structure, and size

You can tell the behavior of a bird by its:

the horn sheath that covers the bill; grows continually and needs to be worn down regularly

What is the rhampotheca?

fusion and reduction to help flight

What is the main theme of the avian skeleton?

hollow

Long bones are _____.

True; a hollow cylinder with struts is extremely strong

True or false: a long, hollow bone is stronger than a solid one.

fused clavicle bones

What is the furcula?

digit and "hand bone" which is reduced and fused in birds; primary attachment point for primaries

What is the manus?

-femur
-tibiotarsus: rest of ankle bones and part of tibia
-tarsometatarsus: long bones of mammalian foot and ankle fused

What are a bird's leg bones? Explain their placement.

reduced tail vertebrate; fused version of long reptilian tail

What is the pygostyle?

projections on ribs that are not fused, but overlapped

What are the uncinate processes?

-deeper and more effective breaths
-allows rib cage to move as one unite

What are the purposes for uncinate processes?

Penguins:
-don't fly so their bones are not hollow
-solid bones allow for deep diving

What is an exception to the avian skeleton?

-high temperature (100-107 F) which makes them sick less than mammals

What are some other avian characteristics?

-incision into the abdomen to determine sex of a bird

What is a laparotomy?

-deeper water
-breed in the far north = symbol of wild areas in E Canada

What are Loons associated with?

smaller ponds

What are Grebes associated with?

5 species loons; 7 species grebes

How many species of Loons are in NA? How many species of Grebes?

breeder in both groups

The Pied-billed Grebe is Indiana's only:

solid bones; helps diving

What unusual trait is unique to both Loons and Grebes? What is the purpose of it?

False

True or False: Grebes and Loons are taxonomically linked and can be justified with physical characteristics.

Acid rain because it kills and disrupts food webs throughout aquatic ecosystems in New England and Canadian lake regions

What is a big threat to Common Loons? Explain.

False; climate change has changed their distribution to be more northern

True or False: Common Loons breed in the Great Lakes Region.

broad, flat portions of the feather attached to the shaft

What is the feather vane?

-central "stick" part of the feather which is the base of the feather to the skin

What is the feather shaft?

-portion of the shaft to which the vanes are attached

What is the feather rachis?

-portion of the shaft below the vanes which includes attachment to the skin

What is the feather calamus?

barbs; barbules

The vane is made up of smaller shafts called ___ which are made up of fine devices called ____.

barbicles; these hooks make the whole vane move as a single piece

Barbules contain small hooks called:

realigning broken barbules by running over the feathers

What is the purpose of preening?

keratin

What are feathers made up of?

pin feathers; sign of a molt and life-cycle stage

When feathers emerge, they are covered in a sheath of keratin. This is called the ____ and it signifies ____.

False

True or false: The skin of a bird is completely covered in feathers.

In specific skin areas called tracts or pterylae (there are 8 major tracts)

How do feathers grow on a bird?

apterylae

What are the areas of bare skin called?

contour feathers; give birds streamlined shape

The main body feathers and long feathers of the wings and tail are called ____.

True

True or false: Birds can individually move their feathers to factors such as insulation.

-primaries and secondaries which are collectively called the remiges

What specific feathers make up the main wing feathers?

rectrices

What are the tail feathers called?

remiges and rectrices

What do the flight feathers include?

covert feathers

What are the shorter feathers that cover the base of flight feathers?

-down feathers
-lack a rachis, so all of vane is attached to one point on shaft

What type of feather is used for insulation? What about them is unique?

filoplumes and semiplumes

Small but long feathers with a rachis are called:

-lots of barbs
-good for insulation

What are the characteristics of semiplume feathers?

-fewer barbs
-used to detect position of individual feathers and airstream over body

What are the characteristics of filoplumes?

bristles

What are the hair-like feathers found around the face?

False, they lack the hooking mechanisms from barbules and hooklets.

True or false: filoplumes and semiplumes have barbs, barbules, and hooklets.

-eyelashes (not hair though)
-rictal bristles around mouth thought catch insects and protect eyes from flying debris

What are examples of bristles?

-pigment colors
-structural colors

What are the two ways that color can be created in feathers?

-created by presence of pigment in surface of barbs and shaft
-melanin: black, brown, gray, buff colors (manufactured)
-carotenoids: reds, yellows, orange (diet)

How do pigment colors work?

-result of how light reflects off structure of feather itself

How do structural colors work?

-iridescent colors: changes color when angle of sunlight changes
-"blue" birds: there is only one bird in the world that has actual blue pigment (in SA), Blue Jays and Bluebirds have no blue pigment

What are two examples of structural color?

Procellariformes; pelagic/tubenosed birds

What types of birds are most likely to be seen over the open ocean?

-albatross (largest)
-shearwaters (middle-sized)
-storm-petrels (smallest)

Pelagic birds include three families:

-great fliers (hundred of miles with little effort)

-tubed nostrils running along top/side of maxilla (upper part of bill)

What are characteristics of Procellariformes?

-connects to efficient salt gland which allows the bird to drink salt water

-excess salt is extracted from blood into salt gland and then excreted out of nares which protect drops from flying into the eyes

What is the purpose of tubed nostrils?

-issues with breeding grounds

-lack of knowledge on life history and satellite imaging

-introduced predators: exotic predators prey on eggs that have no protection

-long-line fisheries: seabirds attracted to bait and get hooked and drowned

What are the biggest conservation issues for birds in Procellariformes?

-cats and rats (main)
-mice, goats, pigs, dogs, mongooses, weasels

What are some examples of exotic predators introduced to island breeding grounds?

True

True or false: All species of Albatrosses worldwide are now threatened or endangered because of long-line fisheries and exotic predation on breeding grounds.

the regular replacement of feathers on an annual basis

What is molting?

get rid of worn feathers, replace missing ones, and reduce the number of parasites living in the feathers themselves

What is the purpose of molting?

False; regrowing feathers is a high energy life-cycle event. Therefore, birds do not molt when they are migrating or breeding.

True or False: Molting is a low energy process.

genetically determined and species specific

The timing of molting is: