Birds have feathers that help them fly and stay warm. They preen and molt feathers regularly. Birds have fast digestion and eat high protein foods like seeds and insects since they lack teeth. Their light skeletons and powerful muscles allow flight through lift generated by air moving over wings. Birds build nests and care for young through brooding or by having precocial or altricial chicks. There are many kinds of birds including flightless, water, perching, and birds of prey.
2. Characteristics of Birds
Feathers
Help birds stay dry and warm,
attract mates, and fly
Preening and Molting
Preening: the act of grooming
and maintaining their feathers
Preening spreads oil over the
feathers, which makes them
waterproof
Molting: process of shedding
old feathers and growing new
ones
Most birds shed once a year
3.
Two kinds of feathers
Down feathers fluffy
feathers that lie next to the
bird’s body
Keep birds warm by
trapping body heat next to
body
Contour feathers stiff
feathers that cover a bird’s body
and wings
Colors and shapes attract
mates
Streamlined surface helps
bird fly
4. Fast Digestion
Birds eat a lot because they need
a lot of energy
Birds eat seeds, insects, nuts, and
meat because they are high in
protein
Modern birds don’t have teeth, so
they can’t chew
Food goes from the mouth to the
crop, which stores food until it
goes to the gizzard the gizzard
has small stones which grind up
the food so that it can be easily
digested
5. Flying
Birds have air sacs attached to their lungs
to store air
Most birds have large eyes and excellent
eyesight; birds such as hawks and eagles
can see 8 times better than humans can see!
Wing shape is related to how a bird flies-
short wings for quick turning, long wings for
soaring
6.
Rigid skeleton allows a bird to
move its wings efficiently
Powerful flight muscle attached to a
large breastbone called a keel
Birds have hollow bones so that
they are light
Getting off the ground
Air moving around a bird’s wing
changes in speed and
direction, creating an upward
force that keeps a bird in the air
“lift” is an upward force on a
bird’s wings
7. Raising Baby Birds
Most birds build nests to lay
their eggs
Brooding act of sitting on
eggs and using body heat to
keep them warm
8.
Some birds are active soon after
birth; others are weak and helpless
Precocial active chicks,
such as chickens and ducks;
can stand up and follow
parents around
Altricial have no feathers and
eyes are closed when born;
cannot walk or fly at birth, such
as hawks and songbirds
9. Kinds of Birds
Flightless birds
Most do not have
the large keel that
anchors a birds’
flight muscles
Some run quickly
to move around
Others are skilled
swimmers
Examples:
penguins, kiwi,
ostrich
10. Water birds
Usually have webbed
feet for swimming or
long legs for wading
Examples:
cranes, ducks,
geese, swans,
pelicans
11. Perching birds
Have special adaptations
for resting on branches
Its feet automatically
close around a branch
Even if it falls asleep, its
feet will stay closed—it
won’t fall off the branch
Examples: chickadees,
parrots, robins, sparrows
12. Birds of Prey
Hunt and eat other
vertebrates
Have sharp claws on their
feet and a sharp, curved
beak
Also have very good
vision
Most hunt during the day,
but most owls hunt at night
Examples: owls, osprey,
hawks, vultures