Birds {bird} have wings and feathers.
feathers
Feathers are modified reptile scales, decrease water and heat loss, and aid flying. Light scattering causes blue jays to have blue feathers. Transparency causes white feathers [Matthews, 1973]. Females typically are drab, and males have color.
flying
Bigger birds fly faster. Penguins cannot fly but use wings for swimming by flying under water.
bone
Birds have hollow bones.
metabolism
Birds live several years. They have fast heartbeat, high blood sugar, and high blood pressure. They have fast transit time for digestion. Birds are warm-blooded.
respiration
Birds have lungs that exhale actively and inhale passively, by continuous airflow, because lung air sacs fill spaces between organs and in wings.
reproduction
Birds have fertilization inside female. Birds have eggs with hard shells.
signals
Birds have 10 to 40 different signals [Matthews, 1973]. Bird songs {birdsong} can be instinctual, learned, or irregular and are for warning, mating, or territory.
nervous system
Birds have optic tectum.
development
Both parents care for eggs and chicks.
evolution
Birds evolved from thecodont pterosaurs.
types
Protoavis [-220000000] had good eyes and bad olfaction and hunted by day. Special shoulder joints allowed later flying, as in Archaeopteryx [-150000000] and Confuciusornis sanctus [-120000000].
high nest {aerie}|.
Birds have lungs that exhale actively and inhale passively, by continuous airflow, because lung extensions {air sac, bird} fill spaces between organs and in wings.
Birds are warm-blooded {homoiothermic, bird} {homoiotherm}|, with high body temperature, 107 F to 113 F.
Some birds winter in one location and summer in another location {migration, bird}, up to 12,000 miles apart. Daylight change affects hypothalamus and pituitary, which affect gonads, which start migration. Increased sex hormones start migration. Migratory birds and homing pigeons use Sun, Moon, Earth magnetic field, air pressure, polarized-light plane, and star-field rotation to establish north-south axis and general directions. They use wind direction, other-bird call notes, and landmarks when close to home.
In extremities, water birds have blood vessels {rete mirabile}| that conserve heat and oxygen pressure by countercurrent exchange.
Ostrich has rudimentary {vestigial}| wings.
Anterior-forebrain region {wulst}| has a visual map.
young swan {cygnet}.
Young birds {fledgling bird}| have feathers but cannot fly.
baby goose {gosling}.
baby bird {hatchling}|.
small rooster {bantam rooster}.
rooster {cock}.
male duck {drake}.
male goose {gander}.
female bird {hen}|.
first-year hen {pullet}|.
male chicken {rooster}.
shot or captured bird set {brace, bird}|.
Baby-bird set {brood}| can be from one mating season.
small quail or partridge family or flock {covey}|.
geese group {gaggle}|.
bird nesting place {rookery}|.
small, hovers, long bill, drinks nectar {hummingbird}.
Large tail can expand upward {peacock, bird}.
running, crested, southwest North America, brown {roadrunner}. Geococcyx californianus.
feathers, neck and feet scales, teeth, claws {archaeopteryx}.
extinct large bird {dodo}.
large, black {blackbird} {red-winged blackbird} {yellow-headed blackbird}.
North-American blackbird {cowbird}.
large, black, American blackbird {grackle}.
tropical Asian starlings {mynah bird}.
medium size {redwing blackbird}.
medium-size {starling}.
In Australia, male birds {bower bird} build bowers to attract females.
bower bird {catbird}.
Corvids {corvid} include ravens, crows, jays, magpies, and nutcrackers.
large, black {crow}. New Caledonian crow can put things together to make tool to get food from inside hole.
long tail, black-and-white, harsh call {magpie}.
Large, black crow-like birds {raven} (Corvus corax) eat mostly carrion and hide pieces over kilometer radius. They make pretend hiding places. They cut and arrange food pieces so they can carry them.
size
They weigh more than kilogram and have wingspan more than meter.
skills
They operate in environment with many other ravens competing for food. They observe situation then choose action. They can distinguish species individuals and large predators. They like to play, roll on back, throw small pebbles at predators using beaks, and lead predators to prey. They play with large predators when young and eat near them when old. They can make and manipulate tools.
European crow-like bird {rook}.
medium size, black, loud call {jay}. Scrub jay can put different food in different places and different times, and remember food type, place, and time together. Perhaps, they have episodic memory, which requires what, when, and where.
medium size, blue, loud call {blue jay}.
Ducks {duck} have Herbst corpuscle vibration detectors, like Pacinian corpuscles, around bill.
medium size {mallard duck}.
medium size, diving {merganser} {sheldrake}.
medium size {teal}.
medium size {wood duck}.
medium size, plump body, feathered legs and feet {grouse, bird} {ruffed grouse} {arctic grouse} {ptarmigan}.
small {quail, bird}.
large {turkey, bird}.
medium size {goose, bird}.
large {Canada goose}.
large {loon}.
large {parrot, bird}.
small, blue {cockatoo}.
large, big beak {macaw}.
small, blue {parakeet}.
large, big beak {toucan}.
medium or large {penguin}.
large {Adelie penguin}.
medium size {petrel}.
medium size {stormy petrel, bird}.
medium size, white, short legs {pigeon}.
medium size, white, short legs {dove, bird}.
medium size, white, short legs {homing pigeon}.
medium size, gray, whimpering call, short legs {mourning dove}.
medium size, short legs {rock pigeon} {stock dove} {ringdove} {wood pigeon} {turtledove}.
medium size {plover}.
American plover {killdeer} lives in inland waters and fields and has unique call.
Large African birds {secretary bird} can eat reptiles and have long legs.
Old World, strong hooked bill {shrike} {loggerhead}.
large, scavenger {buzzard}.
large, scavenger {condor}.
large, scavenger {turkey buzzard}.
large, scavenger {vulture}.
large {eagle, bird}.
large {American eagle}.
large, white head {bald eagle}.
medium size {falcon}.
small {peregrine falcon}.
medium to small {hawk, bird}.
small {nighthawk} {bullbat} {mosquito hawk}.
small {sparrowhawk}.
Owls {owl, bird} have no independent eye movement but have head-movement map in optic tectum.
medium size {barn owl}.
medium size {great horned owl}.
medium size {screech owl}.
ostrich, emu, rhea, kiwi {ratite}.
large, flightless, Australia, related to ostrich and cassowary {emu} (Dromiceius novaehollandiae).
small, flightless, New Zealand {kiwi, bird} (Apteryx) (Apterygidae).
large, white, very large egg {ostrich}.
Birds {wading bird} can walk in shallow water to find small grubs and fish.
large {crane, bird}.
large, brownish, wading {curlew}.
heron, long white feathers {egret}.
large, pink {flamingo}.
medium size {heron}.
wading, temperate and tropical climates {ibis} (family Threskiornithidae).
medium size, marsh {rail, bird}.
medium size {sandpiper}.
medium size, shore {snipe}.
medium size {spoonbill}.
medium size, wading {stilt}.
large {stork}.
medium size migratory, related to snipe and sandpiper {woodcock, bird}.
Cardinals, sparrows, bluebirds, and other birds {songbird} make melody, perch (Passeriformes) {perching bird}, and build nests.
small {bluebird}.
medium size {bobolink}.
medium size {bob-white}.
North America, bill curves down {brown creeper}.
small {bunting, bird}.
small {canary}.
medium size {cardinal, bird}.
small {chickadee}.
Other birds hatch its eggs {cuckoo}.
small {goldfinch}.
small {indigo bunting}.
medium size {nightingale}.
small {nuthatch}.
North American medium-size bird {phoebe} flicks tail.
large, North American, {purple martin}.
medium size {redbird}.
medium size {robin}.
small {sparrow} {English sparrow} {chipping sparrow} {song sparrow} {white crowned sparrow} {white throated sparrow}.
small {titmouse} {tit}.
medium size, eats insects {vireo}.
medium size {waxwing} {cedar waxwing}.
medium size {whippoorwill}.
small {wren} {house wren} {cactus wren}.
small {finch}.
long-tailed, American {towhee}.
medium size {lark}.
medium size {meadowlark}.
medium size {skylark}.
medium size {oriole}.
medium size {Baltimore oriole}.
medium size {tanager}.
medium size {scarlet tanager}.
medium size {thrasher}.
small {brown thrasher}.
Medium-size thrashers {mockingbird} can imitate bird calls.
medium size {thrush} {wood thrush} {hermit thrush}.
medium size {chat, bird}.
medium size {warbler}.
American warblers {ovenbird} can make dome-shaped nests on dirt.
medium size {yellowthroat}.
medium size {swallow}.
medium size {barn swallow}.
medium size {flycatcher}.
large, American, flycatcher {kingbird}.
medium size {swift} {chimney swift}.
large {swan}.
large {trumpeter swan}.
wading or swimming birds {waterfowl}.
large {albatross}.
large, extinct {auk}.
medium size {bittern}.
medium size {coot}.
large {cormorant}.
swimming, diving {grebe}.
medium size {gull}.
large {kingfisher}.
large {osprey}.
large {pelican}.
medium size {sea gull}.
medium size {tern}.
Herbst corpuscle vibration detectors, like Pacinian corpuscles, are in tongue {woodpecker} {downy woodpecker} {pileated woodpecker} {redheaded woodpecker}.
medium size, North American {flicker}.
Small American woodpecker {sapsucker} eats sap from apple and maple trees.
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Date Modified: 2022.0225