Species
Aves
IUCN
NCBI
EOL Text
Dresser Henry Eeles. A history of the birds of Europe, includig all the species inhabiting the western palaeartic region. London, self published 1871-1881 (vols.1-8), 1895-1896 (vol.9 Supplement). 9 vols. in 4to. 723 very fine coloured plates.
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Rights holder/Author | Renato Agazzi, Renato Agazzi |
Source | https://sites.google.com/site/mmslouisc/ |
Dresser Henry Eeles. A history of the birds of Europe, includig all the species inhabiting the western palaeartic region. London, self published 1871-1881 (vols.1-8), 1895-1896 (vol.9 Supplement). 9 vols. in 4to. 723 very fine coloured plates.
License | http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | Renato Agazzi, Renato Agazzi |
Source | https://sites.google.com/site/mmslouisc/ |
Aves is the latin name for the birds - feathered, winged, bipedal, warm-blooded, egg-laying, vertebrate animals with evolutionary origins among the reptiles. The taxon has been historically treated as equal to fish, amphibia, reptiles and mammals, but in order to make classifications reflect evolutionary history, they are now more usually regarded as falling inside the Reptilia. Around 10,000 living species makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from the 5 cm Bee Hummingbird to the 2.75 m Ostrich. The fossil record indicates that birds evolved from theropod dinosaurs during the Jurassic period, around 160 million years (Ma) ago. Birds are the only clade of dinosaurs to have survived the CretaceousâPaleogene extinction event 65.5 Ma ago.Modern birds are characterised by feathers, a beak with no teeth, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a lightweight but strong skeleton. All living species of birds have wings. Wings are evolved forelimbs, and most bird species can fly; exceptions include the ostriches, emus and relatives, penguins, and some endemic island species. Birds also have unique digestive and respiratory systems that are well suited to their flying needs. Some birds, especially corvids and parrots, are among the most intelligent animal species; a number of bird species have been observed manufacturing and using tools, and many social species transmit knowledge across generations. Many species undertake long distance annual migrations, and many more perform shorter irregular movements.Many species are social and communicate using visual signals and through calls and songs, and participate in social behaviours, including cooperative breeding and hunting, flocking, and mobbing of predators. The vast majority of bird species are socially monogamous, usually for one breeding season at a time, sometimes for years, and rarely for life. Other species have polygynous (\"many females\") or, rarely, polyandrous (\"many males\") breeding systems. Eggs are usually laid in a nest and incubated by the parents. Most birds have an extended period of parental care after hatching. Many species are of economic importance, mostly as sources of food acquired through hunting or farming. Some species, particularly songbirds and parrots, are popular as pets. Other uses include the harvesting of guano (droppings) for use as a fertiliser. Birds figure prominently in all aspects of human culture from religion to poetry to popular music. About 120â130 species have become extinct as a result of human activity since the 17th century, and hundreds more before then. Currently about 1,200 species of birds are threatened with extinction by human activities, though efforts are underway to protect them.
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | David, BioPedia |
Source | http://starcentral.mbl.edu/biopedia/portal.php?pagetitle=classification&BLOCKID=12&CHILDID=1 |
Feather parts reattach: birds
Feather filaments of birds connect to each other with interlocking hooks.
"A central shaft carries on either side a hundred or so filaments; each filament is similarly fringed with about a hundred smaller filaments or barbules. In downy feathers, this structure produces a soft, air-trapping fluffiness and, therefore, superb insulation. Flight feathers have an additional feature. Their barbules overlap those of neighbouring filaments and hook them onto one another so that they are united into a continuous vane. There are several hundred such hooks on a single barbule, a million or so in a single feather; and a bird the size of a swan has about twenty-five thousand feathers." (Attenborough 1979:173)
"Disarranged feathers are carefully repositioned. Those that have become bedraggled or have broken vanes are renovated by careful combing with the beak. As the filaments pass through the mandibles and are pressed together, the hooks on the barbules reengage like teeth of a zip-fastener to make a smooth and continuous surface again." (Attenborough 1979:179)
Learn more about this functional adaptation.
- Attenborough, D. 1995. The Private Life of Plants: A Natural History of Plant Behavior. London: BBC Books. 320 p.
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | (c) 2008-2009 The Biomimicry Institute |
Source | http://www.asknature.org/strategy/c2f8abc558cb3adef7df08b5eb2b4846 |
Beak size optimized for thermal regulation: birds
The beak size of birds is optimized for thermal regulation because they vary in size relative to latitude and environmental temperature, a concept called Allen's rule.
"Allen's rule proposes that the appendages of endotherms are smaller, relative to body size, in colder climates, in order to reduce heat loss. Empirical support for Allen's rule is mainly derived from occasional reports of geographical clines in extremity size of individual species. Interspecific evidence is restricted to two studies of leg proportions in seabirds and shorebirds. We used phylogenetic comparative analyses of 214 bird species to examine whether bird bills, significant sites of heat exchange, conform to Allen's rule. The species comprised eight diverse taxonomic groups—toucans, African barbets, Australian parrots, estrildid finches, Canadian galliforms, penguins, gulls, and terns. Across all species, there were strongly significant relationships between bill length and both latitude and environmental temperature, with species in colder climates having significantly shorter bills. Patterns supporting Allen's rule in relation to latitudinal or altitudinal distribution held within all groups except the finches. Evidence for a direct association with temperature was found within four groups (parrots, galliforms, penguins, and gulls). Support for Allen's rule in leg elements was weaker, suggesting that bird bills may be more susceptible to thermoregulatory constraints generally. Our results provide the strongest comparative support yet published for Allen's rule and demonstrate that thermoregulation has been an important factor in shaping the evolution of bird bills." (Symonds and Tattersall 2010:188)
Learn more about this functional adaptation.
- Symonds MRE; Tattersall GJ. 2010. Geographical variation in bill size across bird species provides evidence for Allen’s rule. The American Naturalist. 176(2): 188-97.
- The University of Melbourne. 2010. Birds reduce their heating bills in cold climates. The Melbourne Newsroom [Internet],
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | (c) 2008-2009 The Biomimicry Institute |
Source | http://www.asknature.org/strategy/f7e84091fa7c168cbf26fb6fe773b906 |
Preening waterproofs feathers: birds
The uropygial gland of birds protects them from water penetration, fungi, and bacteria by producing preen waxes.
"In addition to the stratum corneum barrier, glandular lipids are deposited exteriorly to the epidermis in both mammals and birds (Hadley, 1991)…In birds, 'preen waxes' from the uropygial gland are spread over feathers to prevent water penetration and ingress of bacteria and fungi. Uropygial secretions contain a complex mixture of lipids in which wax esters usually predominate…In birds and mammals, plumage and pelage appear to impede significantly the passage of water vapor from skin to atmosphere, although the skin remains the principal barrier to TEWL [transepidermal water loss] (Cena and Clark, 1979; Webster et al., 1985). In pigeons, for example, plumage contributes 5–20% of total resistance to water loss through the integument, and the plumage and boundary layer together account for 6–26% of total resistance to water vapor diffusion (Webster et al., 1985). Therefore, adjustments of plumage or pelage and seasonal shedding patterns are potential means of adjusting rates of TEWL." (Lillywhite 2006:219)
Learn more about this functional adaptation.
- Lillywhite, H. B. 2006. Water relations of tetrapod integument. Journal of Experimental Biology. 209(2): 202-226.
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Rights holder/Author | (c) 2008-2009 The Biomimicry Institute |
Source | http://www.asknature.org/strategy/8272f1405ec07382102879f259242d45 |
Bones absorb compression shock: birds
The fused pelvic vertebrae, or synsacrum, of a flying bird absorbs compression shock whenever the bird lands at high speed.
"Several features of the bird skeleton are specially designed for life in the air. The pelvic vertebrae are fused into a solid mass of light bone, the synsacrum, which provides support for the independent movement of wings and legs, and absorbs the compression shock that occurs every time a bird lands on its feet at speed." (Foy and Oxford Scientific Films 1982:39)
Learn more about this functional adaptation.
- Foy, Sally; Oxford Scientific Films. 1982. The Grand Design: Form and Colour in Animals. Lingfield, Surrey, U.K.: BLA Publishing Limited for J.M.Dent & Sons Ltd, Aldine House, London. 238 p.
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Rights holder/Author | (c) 2008-2009 The Biomimicry Institute |
Source | http://www.asknature.org/strategy/f4d5723bbdc20303ca4b9d88a65e86ce |
Er zijn veel soorten vogels, maar ze hebben allemaal vleugels en veren. Vogelbotten zijn hol en licht. Daardoor kost het een vogel minder moeite om in de lucht te blijven. De veren van vogels gaan geen leven lang mee. Eén keer in de zoveel tijd ruien de vogels en krijgen ze nieuwe veren. Dan kunnen ze even niet vliegen.
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Rights holder/Author | Ecomare |
Source | http://www.ecomare.nl/index.php?id=3968&L=2 |
Shape of feather shafts protect from wind: birds
The shafts of feathers and petioles of leaves protect from wind by having non-circular cross sections.
"In cross section, feathers look like grooved petioles upside down. Again, that makes functional sense. If an elongated structure must have a groove to raise EI/GJ ('twistiness-to-bendiness ratio'), the groove should be on the side that's loaded in tension. That location won't increase the structure's tendency to buckle, since tensile loading is nearly shape-indifferent. A leaf blade bends its petiole downward; its aerodynamic loading bends a feather upward--leaf blades hang from the ends of their petioles; flying birds hang from bases of their wing feathers." (Vogel 2003:385)
Learn more about this functional adaptation.
- Steven Vogel. 2003. Comparative Biomechanics: Life's Physical World. Princeton: Princeton University Press. 580 p.
- Corning WR; Beiwener AA. 1998. In vivo strains in pigeon flight feather shafts: implications for structural design. Journal of Experimental Biology. 201: 3057-3065.
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Rights holder/Author | (c) 2008-2009 The Biomimicry Institute |
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There are many species of birds, but they all have wings and feathers. Bird bones are hollow. This makes them lighter in weight, costing them less energy to stay in the air. Bird feathers do not last long. They replace - molt- their worn feathers at least once a year. Some birds lose all their flying feathers at the same time and are unable to fly during that period. Others lose them one at a time.
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Source | http://www.ecomare.nl/index.php?id=3968&L=2 |