Aves

Class Aves
The most noticeable and most
melodious class of vertebrates.
Over 9,700 spp. distributed
worldwide. Also 27 Orders are
notable
They live almost everywhere
forests, deserts, mountains and
oceans.
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 Some live in total darkness in caves

and rely on echolocation to find their
way.
Some up to 45m into the sea to
catch prey.

Evolution- From Reptiles

to Aves
A flying ancestral bird (Archaeopteryx
lithographica) drowned in the bottom
of a lagoon in Bavaria, Germany 147
millon years ago and was latter covered
by find silt leading to its fossilization.
In 1861, limestone quarry workers
discovered it.
It had features of both Aves and Reptiles
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Archaeopteryx
lithographica
(Ancient wing inscribed in stone -Gr)
Reptile Xtics

Ave Xtics

Reptile skeleton ( long

tail, clawed digits,
abdominal ribds)

Unmistakable
imprints of feather

Beak-like jaw with

small bony teeth
Scales on the feet

Forelimbs modified
as wings

Archaeopteryx lithographica

Archaeopteryx

After Archaeopteryx the

next bird fossil dates
from about 90 million
years ago, in the
Cretaceous period.

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Class Aves
Glorified Reptiles Sir Thomas Henry
Huxley
He classified Aves among Theropod
Dianosurs
Key Characteristic- Feather
o All have 4 chambered heart
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Characteristics of Aves
Forelimbs modified as wings
Hind limbs adapted for perching, walking or
swimming
Epidermal covering of feathers, scaly legs
Skull with keratinized beak and no teeth
Endothermic

10

Characteristics of Aves
No bladder, metanephric kidney- uric
acid waste (semi-solid).
Pneumatic/Hollow bones
Oviparous- large yolky egg
Amniote eggs are encased in hard,
calcium-containing shells.
Most species eggs are incubated in a
nest.
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Adaptations for Flight

1.Feathers
2.Pneumatic bones
3.Stream lined both
4.Crystalline uric acid excretory waste
5.Endothermic body temperature
regulatory mechanism.
6. Air sacs in the body and around bones
7.Efficient circulatory system
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Designed For Flight.

The following characteristics equip
birds for flying:
Compact, lightweight, and very
strong skeleton

Designed For Flight.

Lightweight
beaks and
skulls.

Designed For Flight.

A nearly rigid backbone that gives a
solid support for the strenuous
muscle activity required for flying

Designed For Flight.

Hollow spaces in the
skeleton that provide
room for air sacs,
which contribute to
the efficiency of the
respiratory system
and make the bird
lighter.

Designed For Flight.

Bipedal (twofooted)
anatomy,
which leaves
the wings free
for flying.

Designed For Flight.

An efficient circulatory system,
including a four-chambered heart.

Feathers
Feathers are not wings.
Contour- for flight, gives the outward shape of
birds
Down- soft tufts of feather for conserving heat
Filoplume- hairlike degenerte feathers, no
known Function
Powder Down releases talcklike powder for
water proof & metallic luster. Usefull during
reproductive period to attract mates.
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Wings
Feathers cover wings and the rest of
the body.
1.Eliptical- to manoeuvre forests
2.High aspect ratio long distance travel
3.Soaring- travel over seas, oceans, open
landscape
4.High lift- high lift and manoeuvrability
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High lift wing- Bald Eagle

Soaring Wings- Osprey

Elliptical wing-Hawks

Classification

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Superorder Paleognatae
(5 Orders)
Order Struthioformes- Ostriches
Order Rheiformes Rheas ( S. America)
Order Casuariformes Cassowaries, emu (Aus.)
Order Dinornithiformes- Kiwi
Order Tinamiformes- timanous

Newzealand
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Superorder Neognathae
(25 Orders)
Order Anseriformes Ducks, swans, geese
Order Galliformes Quail, turkeys, domestic fowl
Order Phoenicopteriformes Flamingos
Order Columbiformes- Doves, pigeons
Order Falconiformes Eagle, hawk, falcons
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Digestive and Excretory

system
Food passes from the mouth
cavity straight to the
esophagus.

Enlargement of the esophagus

called the crop stores and
moistens food.
In the first chamber, The
proventriculus, gastric
fluids begin breaking down the
food.
Then passes through the
gizzard, a muscular organ that
kneads and crushes the food
copyright cmassengale

Excretory System
The avion excretory system is also efficient
and light weight
The two kidneys filter a nitrogenous waste
called uric acid from the blood
highly concentrated uric acid travels by
ducts called ureters to the cloaca, where
along with undigested matter from the
intestines, it is excreted in a semisolid,
usually white mass
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Respiratory System
Air enters through paired
nostrils at base of beakDown
trachea past syrinx, or song
boxenters two primary
bronchiito lungs75%
bypasses the lungs and flows
directly to posterior to
sacssacs connect with air
spaces in bones, filling the
hollow bones with air.
When bird exhales the carbon
dioxide-rich air from the lungs,
oxygen rich air is forced out of
the posterior air sacs into
lungs via small air tubes

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Circulatory System
4 chambered heart
Right and left sides completely separated
Right side receives deoxygenated blood
from the body and pumps it to the lungs
Left side receives deoxygenated blood
from the lungs and pumps it to the rest of
the body
Has a single aortic arch
Most birds have a rapid heart beat
compared to other vertebratesHummingbird-600 times a minute
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Nervous System
Birds have a large brains, relative to their size
Cerebellum coordinates movement
Cerebrum controls complex behavior patterns
such as navigation, mating, and nest building
Optic lobe receives and interpret visual stimuli
Keen vision is necessary for taking off, landing,
spotting landmarks, hunting and feeding
Have good color vision
Birds large eyes are located near the sides of
its head, giving a bird a wide field of vision
copyright cmassengale

Nervous system
Birds large eyes are located near the sides of its
head, giving a bird a wide field of vision
Birds with eyes near the front of the head have
better binocular vision
Hearing important to nocturnal species that rely
on sounds to help them locate prey
Birds lack internal ears-ear canal leads to a
tympanic membrane, called an eardrum
Sense of smell is poorly developed except in
ducks and flightless birds
Sense of taste helps birds avoid bitter-tasting or
toxic foods
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Reproductive System
Male bird sperm is produced
in two testes that lie
beneath the kidneys
Sperm passes through small
tubes called Vasa defrentia
into the males cloaca
During mating the male
presses his cloaca to the
females and releases sperm
Females single ovary
releases eggs into a long,
funnel-shaped oviduct
where they are ferilized by
sperm

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Reproductive System
Reproductive System Cont.
Fertilized eggs move down the oviduct, where they
receive protective covering and a shell
Unfertilized egg consists of a nucleus, cytoplasm,
and a yoke
When fertilized, the embryo is suspended in
albumen, the egg white
The liquid medium is supported by ropelike
strands of material called chalaza that are
attached to the shell membrane
Female has a shell gland that secretes a protective
calcium carbonate shell to surround the egg
copyright cmassengale