Birds

Videos media type="custom" key="8826308" Bird killing a deer __**FACTS**__
 * Body Structure**
 * Feathers, wings, beak
 * Thin, hollow bones
 * Large sternum
 * Body Function**
 * Very efficient lungs and air sacs
 * Unidirectional air flow
 * Four-chambered heart
 * Endotherms (warm-blooded)
 * Keen eyesight- 8-10x better than humans
 * Reproduction**
 * Internal fertilization
 * External development in amniotic egg
 * Hatchlings
 * Altricial- young hatch without feathers and are dependent on adults; ex. Red-tailed hawk
 * Precocial- young hatch fully feathered and follow mother; 10-15 eggs; ex. turkey
 * Digestion**
 * Large variety of diets
 * Seeds, nectar, insects, small animals, carrion
 * Beaks indicate diet
 * Feathers**
 * Types
 * Flight- for flying
 * Contour- covers birds body
 * Down- used for insulation
 * Males are usually more brightly colored
 * Flight Adaptations**
 * Feathers
 * Extremely light (may have evolved from scales)
 * No teeth
 * Hollow bones
 * Sternum allows for attachment of powerful flight muscles
 * Flight requires energy and efficiency
 * Heartbeat pumps blood carrying oxygen to the muscles at 1000 beats/minute
 * Air flow system is unidirectional, making it more efficient
 * Bird Taxonomy**
 * Kingdom: Animalia
 * Phylum: Chordata
 * Subphylum: Vertebrata
 * Class: Aves

Article on The Condor- []
Question- What is unique about the Condor? Pictures:

Atlantic Puffin
Atlantic puffins spend most of their lives at sea, but return to land to form breeding colonies during spring and summer. Website: []

Arctic Skua (Parasitic Jaeger)
Arctic skuas, also called parasitic jaegers, have a well-earned reputation as avian pirates, stealing much of their food from other birds. Website: []

Snowy Owl
Photograph by Norbert Rosing The snowy owl's beautiful white plumage helps to hide it in its Arctic habitat. Only the males are completely white. Chicks are dark and spotted, while the females are white with spots on their wings. []

Count Raggi's Bird of Paradise
The Count Raggi's bird of paradise is the national bird of Papua New Guinea. Website: []



Lesser Bird of Paradise
The male lesser bird of paradise, like others in its genus, has beautiful plumage, which he displays to females in an elaborate courtship dance. Website: []