BIRDS

BIRDS ARE SIMILAR TO REPTILES

• They have lungs that are more efficient than amphibians, scaly skin (on their legs) to prevent drying out, amniotic egg with shell, yolk and several protective membranes.• Birds are different from reptiles because

they have:• Feathers• Front limbs modified into wings• Hind limbs for perching/walking

BIRDS• Birds are as successful as mammals in the modern world. (live almost in all habitats)• There are many orders of birds: songbirds, waterfowl, raptors, seabirds, penguins and flightless birds

HOW BIRDS FLY

1. They are very light because have hollow bones.

2. They have feathers, which are a curved light surface perfect to provide lift

3. They have larger sternums and strong flight muscles attached to them.

4. They don’t have a bladder, which is a heavy organ when full, which is why they only make one kind of waste

5. They have a series of air sacs off of their lungs that fill with each breath and make them lighter

BIRDS DON’T HAVE TEETH

• Birds tear off bits of food with their beaks that they swallow whole and store in their crop until ready to be digested .• Some birds swallow

pebbles into their“gizzard”• the motion of the

gizzard grinds the pebbles againstthe food,“chewing” it.

NOW CHECK OUT PG 360

• Look at the chart of different bird types, feet and beaks