BIRDS/ AVES

Ornithology; Evolved
from dinosaurs of
Reptilian group; Birds are
bipedal vertebrates with
feathers, fore limbs are
modified into wings;
Modified for flight and for
active metabolism;
Monophyletic lineage,
(evolved once from a
common ancestor); some
lost the ability to fly. In
the present day world 8590
species of birds are living;
they are aerial, terrestrial
and aquatic.

Archaeopteryx oldest-known fossil birds, 150 million years connecting link:

Reptile characteristics: Thecodont teeth, Boney tail;
all digits with claws; tibia and fibula separate; bones
not pneumatic; Tail long, without pygostyle
Bird characteristics: Feathers on wings and tail;
Furcula; Skull rounded

General characters
• Birds are warm blooded, bipedal, feathered,
clawed vertebrates
• Body is divisible into head, neck, Trunk and Tail
• Forelimbs are modified into wings (forelimb bears
three clawless digits) wings bear feathers- for
flying.
• Hind limbs are strong and are useful to walk, 4
toes (Neognathae)
• The skin has no glands, except preen glands or oil
gland present at the base tail. It secrets of the oily
substance which keeps the feather waterproof.
• Skull is monocondylic.
• Bones are spongy and pneumatic - light in weight and strong.
• Posterior caudal vertebrae will unite to form a pygostyle - acts as a rudder - helps to change the direction
of movement.
• Sternum is broad. It shows a keel. This keel is useful for the attachment of muscles.
• The clavicle and inter clavicle unite to form V shaped furcula. This will keep the wings away.
• In the forelimbs carpals and metacarpals are united to form carpo-metacarpus. Like that— hind limbs
tarsal and metatatarsals, united to form Tarso metatarsus.

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• Vertebrae in pelvic region unite to form synsacrum, it is formed by the fusion of 14 to 16 vertebrae.
Those vertebrae are one last thoracic vertebra, six lumbar vertebrae, two sacral vertebrae and seven
caudal vertebrae - this structure supports pelvic girdle.
• Digestive System: Esophagus is generally dilated into Crop (Storage) and the stomach is usually divided
into proventriculus (Enzymes); and gizzard (Grind food); Junction between large and small intestine is
marked by caeca. The modern birds have no teeth;
• Organ that allows for vocalization (No vocal cords) located at base of trachea – syrinx; Sound produced
through vibration of membrane and pitch changes as it changes tension
• Respiratory system is well developed, lungs are spongy. Nine air sacs are present. They are useful for
make body light.
• Heart is 4 chambered. RBCs are oval and nucleated.
• Kidneys are metanephric. Each kidney is three lobed. Ureters open into cloaca. Urinary bladder is
absent.
• Heart is four chambered. Right arotic arch is present; R.B.C. is oval, nucleate and biconcave.
• Large well developed eyes and optic lobes, in the eye comb plate or pecten is present. It protects the
retina from sunlight. It also increases the vision.
• Brain is well developed; Large cerebellum for optimal muscle coordination.
• Each eye moves independently
• 12 pairs of cranial nerves
• Sexual dimorphism is clearly exhibited; in the female left ovary and left oviduct; Fertilizing is internal;
oviparous. Ovum has food for embryo in the form of yolk, membrane and calcareous shell.
Feathers type:
 Flight feathers are found two places on birds: the wings and tail. Flight feathers are long, and on the
wings, have one side of the vane wider than the other. They also have stronger barbules which give
them more strength for flight.
 Contour feathers give shape and colour to the bird. They are found everywhere except the beak,
legs, and feet. Contour feathers are coloured only at the ends (the only part that we see). At its base, a
contour feather becomes downy which helps insulate the bird.
 Down feathers have little or no shaft. They are soft and
fluffy. Down feathers help insulate birds by trapping air. Some
birds, such as herons, have special down feathers called
powder down which breaks up into a fine powder. The bird
then spreads this fine powder all over its body to act as a water
repellent.
 Semiplume feathers are a cross between down and contour
feathers. Unlike down, they do have a well formed shaft.
However, they do not have well developed barbicels which
make them soft. Semiplume feathers are found underneath
contour feathers and are used for insulation.
 Bristle feathers are very stiff with only a few barbs found at
the base. Bristle feathers are found around the mouth of insect
eating birds where they act as a funnel. They can also be found around the eyes where they work like
eyelashes.
 Filoplume feathers are incredibly small. They have a tuft of barbs at the end of the shaft. Unlike
other feathers which are attached to muscle for movement, filoplume feathers are attached to nerve
endings. These feathers send messages to the brain that give information about the placement of
feathers for flight, insulation, and preening.
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Young ones are either: Altricial Chicks: requiring nourishment; No feathers; cannot walk or see; cannot
feed selves, or Precocial Chicks: Down feathers; can walk and see; can feed selves.
Adaptations for Flight:
• Honey combed bones: Air cavities, Less weight
• Enlarged sternum- Flight muscle attachment
• Long neck: Balance
• Most bones fused
• Feathers – lightweight
• Reduce body weight: No teeth, No urinary bladder, No penis, Only one ovary

Classification of Aves
Subclass ARCHAEORNITHES (Ancient birds)
Order Archaeopterygiformes, Archaeopteryx Extinct.
Subclass NEORNITHES (True birds)
Superorder ODONTOGNATHAE (Toothed birds): ex. Hesperornis; Ichthyornis; Apatornis. Extinct.
Superorder PALEOGNATHAE (=RATITAE) (2 orders, 49 extant species)
Orders Struthioniformes—ostriches, emus, kiwis, and allies
Orders Tinamiformes—tinamous
Superorder IMPENNAE: Penguins (Spheniscus; Aptenodytes; Eudyptes)
Superorder NEOGNATHAE (=CARINATAE) (27 orders, ~10,000 species)
Orders Galliformes—fowl
Orders Falconiformes—falcons, eagles, hawks and allies
Subclass Archaeornithes: In this subclass extinct birds are included. Those birds were alive in Mesozoic
era. These show a long tail with 13 or more than 13 caudal vertebrae. Pygostyle is absent. Meta carpals are
free. The free fingers of fore limb will end with claws. Thecodont teeth are seen. Eg: Archeopteryx,
Archeormis.
Subclass Neornithes: This subclass includes both extant and extinct birds. Tail ends in pygostyle. The
rectrices are arranged semicircular around pygostyle. Teeth are absent in many forms. Sternum is well
developed. It shows a keel to which flight muscles are attached. This subclass is divided into 4 super orders.
1) Odontognathae 2) Palaeognathe 3) Impennae 4) Neognathae.

FLIGHTLESS BIRDS
Flightless bird, any of several birds that have,
through evolution, lost the ability to fly as they adapted
to new environmental circumstances.
Origin: flight became unnecessary for ancient birds that
colonized habitats without predators, no longer needed
to escape. Over time, other traits were favoured by
natural selection.
Order Struthioniformes commonly known as ratites
(ostrich, the rhea, the cassowary, the kiwi, and the emu)
Order Sphenisciformes: penguins
Characteristics of flightless birds
• The breast-muscles are under-developed
• They do not have a keeled sternum (flat, raft like sternum) -Ratites
• Their wishbone (furcula) is almost absent
• They have a simplified wing skeleton, and wing
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• Their legs are stronger and do not have air chambers, except the femur -Ratites
• Absence of flight feathers, permanently ground these birds
• Their tail and flight feathers have retrogressed or have become decorative plumes
• They have no feather vanes, which means they do not need to oil their feathers, hence they have no
preen or oil gland
• They have large bodies supported by heavy leg bones and thick strong feet adapted for running
• Lack the opposable first toe of many flying birds
• In the hind limbs the fibula bones are greatly reduced as an adaptation for fast running

Extinct species: The elephant bird (Aepyornis), Madagascar, A. titan, stood 3 metres (10 feet) high and
weighed about 450 kg. Dodo (Raphus cucullatus), Mauritius that weighed about 23 kg. Moas, fast-running
birds from New Zealand that 1.8 metres (about 6 feet) in height.

For general knowledge:

Teeth & Jaw:

Phylogenetics is a branch of biology that deals with studying and determining the
evolutionary relationships, or patterns of descent, of groups of organisms. There are
three types of phylogenetic groups:
 Monophyletic group: contains an ancestor and all of its descendants
 Paraphyletic group: contains an ancestor but only some of its
descendants
 Polyphyletic group: contains various organisms with no recent
common ancestor