WELCOME

Ms.Deshmukh.S.B

Zoology department

PAPER V �SEMESTER III

AVES

AVES

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PHYLUM – CHORDATA

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SUBPHYLUM- VERTEBRATA

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CLASS- AVES

DISTINGUISHING FEATURES

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• They are capable of flight.
• Body covered with feathers.
• Birds are warm blooded animals.
• Fore limbs are converted into wings for flying .
• Hind limbs are adaptated for walking,pearching and swimming.
• Teeth are absent.

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• Jaws are modified into horny beaks or bills.
• They are the first warm blooded vertebrates.
• Bones are light and also contain air cavities. Hence , the bones are called pneumatic.
• Heart is completely four chambered.
• Only right aorta is retained.
• Lungs are fixed and are provided with air sacs.

• Only left ovary and left oviduct is retained.
• Urinary bladder is absent.
• Eyes are with sclerotic plates
• Only left ovary and left oviduct is retained.
• Urinary bladder is absent.
• Eyes are with sclerotic plates
• Cloaca is present
• Skull is monocondyler
• Vertebrae of trunk are fused.

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• Tail is reduced and tail
• vertebrae are fused to form pygostyle
• Eggs are large megalecithal and covered with calcareous shell
• Vertebrae also fuse with pelvic girdle.
• Migration in birds and parental care in birds is fascinating

Order - Spenisciformes

1. Modern ,aquatic, flightless birds.
2. Wings are paddle like.
3. Feet are webbed.They have secondarily lost their flight.

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Super –order II

Palaeognathae (Ratitae)

This groups of birds includes flightless birds

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1. These are running birds .
2. Wings and flight muscles are reduced .
3. They have no keel and sternum.
4. Feathers are without inter-locking mechanism.
5. Males are with copulatory organs.
6. Legs are long and muscular adapted for running.
7. Eggs are large.

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This super order is divided into seven orders

Order 1) Struthioniformes

1) Legs are strongly developed with two toes and pubic symphysis present on ventral side

order -2 Rheiformes

examples -Rhea american

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1. Legs bear three clawed toes.

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• Ischial symphysis present on ventral side.

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• They have 3 toes and hind toes is absent.

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• The head and bill are fairly small; the latter measuring 8-10.4 c.m in length.

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• At the end of 2017 a population about 250 birds was estimates.
• During the breeding season ( spring and summer) it stays near water.

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• These birds is native to Argentina,boliva,brazil,paraguay and uruguay.

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• Example –Rhea american

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Order 3- Cauariformes

examples- Emus and casuarius

Examples- Emus and Casuarius

1. Head bears a comb like structure and fore limbs are greatly reduced.
2. Soft feathered, brown flightless birds.
3. They have long necks and legs and can reach upto 1.9 mt in height.
4. They drink infrequently, but take in copious amounts of water. When the opportunity arises.
5. Breeding takes place May and June.

Order- Apterygiformes

Example - Kiwis

1) Wings are absent or greatly.

2) Feathers are simple bristle like

3) Long bill with nostrils near the tip.

4) It is also a flightless birds endemic to New Zealand.

5) Approximately the size a domestic chicks.

6) Kiwi egg is one of the largest in proportion to body size.

7) Kiwi is smallest visual field as well the eye has small specialisations for a nocturnal lifestyle , other sense organs are senses as auditory.

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Order – Dinornithiformes (Extinct)

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Example - Moas

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1. Legs are massive wings absent and beak short.

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• Large birds became extinct about 800 years ago.

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• Smallest bush moa was around the size of a turkey.

Order 6- Aepyornithiformes (Extinct)

ORDER - TINAMIFORMES

1. Small runner birds.

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• Sternum is keeled.

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• Example – Tinamou, Eudromia

Order – Coraciformes

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1. Beak is long , heavy and pointed.

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• Brightly coloured birds.

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• Feet are weak and horn on bill in some.

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• Example- Hornbills, Hoopes,Kingfishers etc.

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Order- Anseriformes

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1. Aquatic birds

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• Beak depressed,hallux short.

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• Anterior toes webbed.

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• Tongue thick,eversible penis present

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• Example –

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Ducks, swans

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Order- Ciconiformes

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1. Large sized birds good filers.

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• Legs long, beak and neck are very long.

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• Toes may be webbed.

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• Found in lakes and other such places .

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• Food is fishes, frogs etc.found in India and other

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places of world .

Order- Charadriformes

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1. Legs are long and wading legs.

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• Toes webbed.

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• Beaks are mud probing.

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• Example- Jaacana,Sandpiper,Gull,Curlew,Snipe

Order – Strigiformes

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1. These are nocturnal birds.

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• Head round and large.

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• Eyes are large and provide binocular vision.

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4. Clawed powerful feet present.

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5.Beak powerful and pointed,as the birds are carnivorous.

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Example- Owls and owlets.

Order- Phaenicopteriformes

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1. Large ,long necked,found in marshes.

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• Toes webbed,hallux absent.

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• They can open their bills by raising the upper jaw as well as dropping the lower.

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• Example- Flamingo

Order- Pelcaniformes

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1. Large aquatic birds

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• They are good divers,legs short.

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• There toes webbed.

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• Beak modified and large throat pouch used for catching prey and dranining water from the scooped up contents before swallowing.

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• Example- Pelican

Order- Pterocletiformes

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