Birds

Birds are the dwellers of nature. Birds are warm-blooded vertebrates; their bodies are covered
with feathers, lay eggs and forelimbs are modified into wings. There are around 1000 species of
birds in the world. Birds are very alert and vigilant even when they are absorbed in building their
nests. Birds look beautiful because of their attractive plumage. Birds look attractive because of
their external appearance. Their feathers act as the barrier against water and heat loss. The
feathers of most species have colors and some are beautifully patterned. Birds use their wings for
gliding and flying. Some birds can swim; their webbed feet can help them in moving through
water.
The bones of the flying birds are very hollow and light, they are structured in this way as to help
them in flying. The wing bones are connected by strong muscles to the keeled, or ridged,
breastbone, and the pelvic bones are fused so that they are rigid in flight. Flightless birds lack the
keel on the breastbone to which the flight muscles of flying birds are attached. Instead, the
breastbone is shaped like a turtle's shell.
The jaws of birds are shaped according to the eating habit of each species and have no teeth.
Like mammals, birds have a four-chambered heart that pumps blood to the lungs to receive
oxygen and distribute to other body tissues. The keen eyesight and elevated sense of hearing aid
them in locating food. Birds are very vocal they use various calls to warn of danger, defend their
territory and to communicate with others of their species. Songbirds are those who can sing
musically. Birds are found the world over in many different habitats. They range in size from the
smallest hummingbird, at less than 2 inches, to the largest ostrich, which may reach a height of 8
1

feet and weigh as much as 400 pounds. Many species of birds migrate hundreds or even
thousands of miles south every autumn to feed in warmer climates, returning north in the spring.
Ratites have overwhelming, strong bones and incorporate the biggest living winged creatures, for
example, the ostriches of Africa and the emus of Australia. Kiwis, another sort of flightless flying
creature, live in New Zealand and are about the extent of chickens. The penguins of Antarctica
are additionally flightless yet are not viewed as ratites. Their capable flight muscles are utilized
for swimming as opposed to flying.
Ratites are the oldest living birds and are descended from flying birds that lost the ability to
fly. The feathers of ratites vary in structure from those of flying feathered creatures. They lack
barbuleshooked structures that attach the points of the plume together, giving an air-safe
surface amid flight. Rather, the strands that develop from the plume separate delicately,
permitting air through. This non-abrasiveness makes the quills of numerous ratites especially
attractive. Ostrich plumes, for instance, have long been utilized as decoration on helmets and
hats.
There are four kinds of migrating birds. Permanent residents are non-migrating birds who remain
in their home area all year round. Summer residents are migratory birds that move north in the
spring, nest during the summer, and return south in the fall. Winter residents are migratory birds
who fly south for the winter. Transients are migratory species who nest farther north than our
neighborhoods, but who winter farther south. We only see transients as they are passing through.
Birds of the same kind often flock or fly together. Those of the same kind flock together, a
swallow would not be seen to join a goose and vice versa. Around 20% of bird species migrate

long distances every year. Homing pigeons are bred to find their way home from long distances
away and have been used for thousands of years to carry messages.