Migration

In any given area some birds have the survival mechanisms necessary to survive the harshest of winters or scarcity of food. These “resident” birds do not follow seasonal cues to leave one area for another. Many bird species, however, embark on an annual seasonal journey called migration. The hallmark of migration is its regularity in response […]

Parental Care

Most birds are taken care of by at least one parent until they are able to fly and get their own food. The young of passerines are altricial (born naked, blind, and helpless) and require much more care and feeding than precocial young. For information on atricial vs precocial young, REVIEW Precocial and Altricial Young […]

Nests & Eggs

Bird Incubation Period Chicken 20-22 days Ostrich 42-50 days Parakeet (budgie) 27-28 days Pigeon 14-18 days Swan 30 days Toucan 18 days Birds bear their young in hard-shelled eggs which hatch after some time. Some birds, like chickens, lay eggs each day, while others (like the maleo) may go for years between laying eggs. Birds […]

Bird Vocalizations

Birds and mammals have very different vocalization organs. Mammals like us have a larynx (voice box) which is located at the top of the trachea and which manipulates pitch and volume. It houses the vocal folds (also called vocal folds), which are hard membranes which stretch across the larynx. When air flows across the vocal cords they […]

Diet & Beak Shape

When you look at a bird’s beak you are actually looking at an extension of its skull. Beaks (or bills) are two-part structures with an upper mandible and a lower mandible. The bird’s nostrils are located on each side of the upper mandible. The mandibles (jaws) are made of bone, and like most bird bones, […]

Feathers

It is the presence of feathers that is unique to birds. Other animals can fly, other vertebrate animals have beaks or bills, other vertebrate animals lay eggs, but no other living animal has feathers. Feathers are highly modified scales. There are different types of feathers that have different uses. Feathers are used for: Flight– flight […]

Heart Rate & Breathing

In order to fly, run, or swim, birds need a lot of oxygen, which they get by breathing air using lungs. They also need a strong circulatory system, including a powerful heart, to circulate the oxygen. A bird’s heart beats much faster than our heart does. A hummingbird’s heart beats about 1000 times each minute; […]

How Do Birds Fly?

Birds use the same laws of physics to fly as any winged craft or creature. The wings act as an airfoil. When an airfoil moves forward though a fluid (all gases are actually “fluids”) it creates “lift”. The lift on an airfoil is primarily the result of its shape, particularly with regards to two aspects […]

Bird Locomotion

Although most birds can fly, not all flying animals are birds. For example, many insects also fly. Birds have a very strong heart and an efficient way of breathing – these are necessary for birds to fly. Birds also use a lot of energy while flying and need to eat a lot of food to […]

Bird Legs & Feet

Although the construction of the wing and the ability to fly are often what capture our attention with bird anatomy, the legs and feet of birds are also critical to their lifestyle and success as predators and as prey species. Even in birds whose dominant means of locomotion is flight, there are stresses involved in […]