Class Aves Marine Birds Characteristics Depend on the
Class: Aves Marine Birds
Characteristics Depend on the ocean for survival Lightweight bones Return to land to breed. Endothermic = create their own body heat 3 Types of feathers: 1 - Down = small, fluffy, closest to skin, for warmth. 2 - Contour = larger, cover wings and body, for flight. • 3 - Powder = Repel water, protect the down • •
• http: //www. birds. cornell. edu/ –Online Bird Guide
Bird Orders • Class Aves broken into 29 orders • All orders end in –iformes –Ex. Pelecaniformes- Pelicans (totipalmate swimmers) –Ex. Passeriformes- Songbirds
Diving Pelagic Birds • Open-ocean birds, spend most of their lives at sea • Puffins, petrels, shearwaters, albatross • Migrate thousands of km each year
• Large nostrils located in short tubes on sides/top of bill • Spend most of life at sea • Come to land only to breed • Wandering Albatross-Largest wingspan of all living birds (nearly 12 feet)
Wandering Albatross
Wandering Albatross chick
Shearwater
Penguins • Can dive down 800 meters for food • Flightless, marine, pelagic, swimming and diving birds • The Emperor Penguin is the largest @ 4 ft, 75 lb
Penguins • • The most aquatic of all marine birds 15 species (all are in the Southern Hemisphere) No contour feather (can’t fly) Thick layer of fat and dense down feathers Excellent swimmers/divers Eyes adapted for underwater vision Both males and females take care of watching the egg and chicks
Babies Adelie Penguins Emperor Penguins
Rockhopper Penguin King Penguins
Penguin
Totipalmate Swimmers • All 4 toes are webbed • Pelicans, Gannets, Cormorants& Frigatebirds • Some breathe through their mouth (nasal openings are closed)
American White Pelican
Blue-footed Booby
Long-legged Waders • Herons, Egrets, Ibises, Spoonbills, Storks & Vultures • Herons & Egrets have S shaped neck in flight
Herons & Egrets have S shaped neck in flight
• Storks hold neck extended in flight
• Bird populations decreased because of plume hunters (1902 -1903) • Fashionable for women to wear feathers in their hats • 4 birds=1 ounce ($32/oz)
• 1, 608 packages of plumes in a commercial sales room in 1902 • Each package weighed 30 oz totaling 48, 240 oz • Required the lives of 192, 960 herons
Flamingos • Pink plumage due to carotenoids obtained from food, cyanobacteria • Most unusual feature is the bent bill held upside down to feed
• At one time occurred naturally in the state of Florida • Nest made on a cone shaped pedestal of mud • Young swim day of hatching
Flamingo
Marsh birds • Crane, Coots & Moorhens • Losing more species of birds than any major order of birds • The Whooping Crane is the tallest American bird
Whooping Crane & chick
Sandhill Crane -More commonly seen
Roseate Spoonbill
Shorebirds • Much diversity –Divers, skimmers, waders –Lakes, coastal waters, beaches, meadows
Shorebirds • • • Sandpiper – narrow, pointed bill Snowy egret – long, flexible neck Roseate Spoonbill Sea ducks Sea Gull - scavengers
American Avocet
Diurnal Birds of Prey • Hawks, Eagles, Kites & Ospreys • Have short, decurved hooked beaks • Excellent eyesight • Feed on birds, mammals, fish or reptiles
Osprey
Kingfishers • Large heads with spearlike bills • Dive straight into water for fish
Belted Kingfisher
Perching Birds • All the Songbirds • Ex. Cardinals, Jays, Wrens, Warblers, etc. • Includes Loggerhead Shrike & Florida Scrub Jay
Feather Anatomy
What is preening? • Definition: Preening is the process by which birds groom and care for their feathers. When a bird is preening, she uses her beak to pick through her feathers -- removing any debris, arranging feathers that are out of place, and distributing a special oil that is secreted from a gland at the base of the tail. This oil helps a bird's feathers stay healthy and shiny.
- Slides: 42