Characters of Birds

1. External Feature of Bird
Presented by
Dr. Dinesh Dabhadkar
G. S. G. College, Umarkhed

2. External Feature of Bird
1) Shape, Size and Coloration
2) Division of body
3) Appendages

3. Shape:
Compact, Boat shaped,
streamlined adopted for rapid
flight.
Size:
About 33 cm in length
Coloration:
Gray with glistening metallic
green and purple sheen on
the upper breast and neck .
Two prominent black bass on
the wing.

4. Division of the Body:
1) Head:
Small anterior most part of the body and
somewhat rounded and mobile.
Possesses beak, nosrill, eyes, and auditory
aperture (ears)
i) Beak: Short, straight and pointed beak, form
due to elongatation of upper and lower jaws. No
teeth in the jaws. Covered with heavy sheen
called rhamphotheca. Beak open into mouth.
ii) Nostrill: At the base of upper beak two slit like
opening called nostrill. Cere it is soft part sort of
receptor organ useful in love making etc.
iii) Eyes: pair of large lateral and rounded eyes.
Guarded by upper and lower eyelid. Transparent
third eyelid or nictitating membrane present.
iv) Auditory aperture: Behind the eye there is
external ear called auditory aperture. It is coverd
by feather and tymphanic membrane.

5. b) Neck:
It is cylindrical and very flexible. Serves for
handling the food and balancing the body.
c) Trunk:
It is compact, stout, spindle shaped. Trunk is divided
into anterior thorax to which wings are attached to
posterior abdomen to which legs are attached.
d) Tail:
It is post anal part of the body. Stumpy conical
projection of the trunk. It bears fan like group of
elongated tail feather. Preen gland or uropygil gland.
It is used to its oily secretion used for lubricated the
feather or dressing the feathers.

6. III) Appendages:
a) One pair of wings:
Two forelimbs are modified into wings. Chief
organ for flight. It is attached to the anterior or
thoracic region of the trunk.
It is divided into 3 parts
 Upper arm or branchium
 Lower arm or atne branchium
 Hand or manus – It bears 3 clawless digit …..

7. b) Legs: Most birds have approximately
175 different muscles, mainly
controlling the wings, skin, and legs.
The legs are attached to a strong
assembly consisting of the pelvic girdle
extensively fused with the uniform
spinal bone (also specific to birds)
called the synsacrum, built from some of
the fused bones.