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• One day in 1861, in a limestone quarry in what is now Germany, Hermann von Meyer was inspecting rocks.
• He was a fossil hunter, spotted something dark in a rock.
• It was the blackened imprint of a feather!
• What he then found was Archaeopteryx which mean “ancient winged thing.”
• Paleontologists think that Archaeopteryx lived about 145 million years ago.
• It didn’t look like the birds you know, it looked more like a reptile but with wings.
Archaeopteryx
• Bird Characteristics
• Feathers• Wings• Backward toe
• Reptile Characteristics
• Long, bony tail• Teeth• Scales• Loose “fingers”
Characteristics of Birds
• Modern birds all have certain characteristics in common.
• A bird is an endothermic vertebrate that has feathers and a four-chambered heart.
• A bird also lays eggs.
Adaptations for Flight
• The bodies of most birds are adapted for flight.
• The bones are nearly hollow – makes it light weight.
• The front limbs are wings.
• Feathers help it fly.
• Birds are the only creatures today with feathers.
Feathers
• There are two kinds of feathers:– Contour feathers – is one of the large feathers
that give shape to a bird’s body.– Down feathers – are specialized to trap heat
and keep a bird warm.
Contour Feathers
• These are the feathers you think about.
• They are longer, and usually colorful.
• If you find a feather on the ground, it is usually a Contour Feather.
• It is used for flight and steering.
• They are made with “hooks, and barbs” which acts like a zipper keeping the feathers organized and neat.
Down Feathers
• These are the fluffy feathers that babies are born with.
• They are also used to make pillows and blankets if you have a “down pillow.”
• They are under the contour feathers, right near the skin of the bird.
• They are soft and flexible, unlike contour feathers.
Obtaining O2
• Flying uses a lot of energy.
• Therefore, cells must receive plenty of oxygen to release the energy contained in food.
• Birds have a system of air sacs in their bodies.
• This system connects to the lungs.
Circulatory System
• Birds have a 4 chambered heart, and two loops.
• This is very efficient and keeps the blood from mixing while circulating.
Obtaining Food
• Birds must obtain a lot of food to provide the energy it needs for flight.
• Many use their beaks which are specialized to their food.
• Some are pointy, some are spooned billed, some are curved.
Crop
• After a bird eats its food, digestion begins.
• Each organ in a bird’s digestive tract is adapted to process food.
• Many birds have an internal storage tank, or crop.
• This connects to the stomach.
Gizzard
• The stomach has 2 parts. The first is where food is bathed in chemicals that begin to break it down.
• Then it moves to the thick-walled, muscular part of the stomach called the Gizzard.
• It squeezes and grinds the partially digested food.
Homeostasis
• Because birds are endotherms, they also need a lot of energy to keep warm.
• Each day, an average bird eats food equal to about a quarter of its body weight.
• To keep warm, they also use their down feathers.
Reproduction and Caring for Young
• Like reptiles, birds have internal fertilization and lay eggs.
• Bird eggs are similar to reptile eggs except that their shells are harder.
• In most birds, the female lay the eggs in a nest that has been prepared by one or both parents.
• For a bird egg to hatch, it must be kept the same temperature as the parent.
• This is why it sits on its eggs.
• Chicks take about 12 to 80 days to develop.
• When it is ready to hatch, a chick pecks its way out of the eggshell.
• Some chicks are born with a layer of down feathers
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