External anatomy of bird structure & function

Bird Facts

Birds are warm-blooded. They have feathers, wings and lay eggs.

Birds can fly with the help of their hollow bone.

Chicken is the most common species of bird all over the world.

Ostrich is the largest bird in the world. Bee humming bird is the smallest living bird.

Hummingbirds can fly backwards.

External Birds Anatomy

The external anatomy of a bird tell us about the physical body shape of a bird in a detailed manner

Eye

Birds have an accurate eye vision that are extraordinary. The birds of the eyes have receptor cells called rods and cones. These rods and cones helps the bird to see. Usually 200,00 cells will be present in one millimeter inside the eye. But the birds have five times more than this. From this you can calculate how sharp the vision of the bird would be.

Beak

Beak is the extended part of the bone jaw that is covered with keratin and it serves many purpose. The upper part of the beak is called as cere and it is the place where the bird's nostrils are located. There are different types of birds beak. They are Long, Short, Hooked, Crossed, Compressed, Depressed, Stout, Terete, Straight, and Re-curved

Wings

The forelimbs of the birds are developed into wings. The wings are made up of radius which makes the forearm with wrist and hand bones. The secondary feathers are supported by the forearm and the forearm also supports the hand bones and fuse wrist. Birds develop their fully grown wings after they develop their primary flight feathers followed by secondary feathers, then the main feather. The feathers are the home of tertials and the alula.

Foot

Depending on the bird species the leg and foot varies. The foot of the bird is generally designed to allow the bird to land, climb and hold something. Since birds spend most of the time in searching the food with the help of their feet, their foot is made up of hard skins than the other parts of the body.

Tail

The function of the bird's tail is the same as the aeroplanes tail. It helps the bird to change the direction during its flight. The muscles present in the tail helps the it to expand its lungs to release the extra air that has entered in the body during birds flight.