Birds are highly organized warm-blooded animals adapted for flight. Due to their large numbers and wide distribution on Earth, they play an extremely important and diverse role in nature and economic activity person. Over 9 thousand modern bird species are known.

General features of the organization of birds in connection with their adaptations laziness to fly:

Rice. 45. Topography of body parts of birds: 1 – forehead; 2 – bridle; 3 – crown; 4 – ear coverts; 5 – neck; 6 – back; 7 – rump; 8 – upper tail coverts; 9 – tail feathers; 10 – lower tail coverts; 11 – undertail; 12 – shin; 13 – rear finger; 14 – shank; 15 – sides; 16 – belly; 17 – goiter; 18 – throat; 19 – chin; 20 – cheeks; 21 – mandible; 22 – beak; 23 – shoulder feathers; 24 – upper wing coverts; 25 – secondary flywheels; 26 – primary flywheels.

Respiratory system - lungs. A flying bird has breath twonew: gas exchange in the lungs occurs both during inhalation and exhalation, when atmospheric air from air bags enters the lungs. Thanks to double breathing, the bird does not suffocate during flight.

Heart four-chamber, all organs and tissues are supplied with pure arterial blood. As a result of the intensive process of life, a lot of heat is generated, which is retained by the feather cover. Therefore all birds are warm-blooded animals with a constant body temperature.

The excretory organs and types of end products of nitrogen metabolism are the same as in reptiles. Only the bladder is missing due to the need to lighten the bird’s body weight.

Like all vertebrates, the bird brain has five sections. Most developed cerebral hemispheres of the anterior brainha, covered with smooth bark, and cerebellum, thanks to which birds have good coordination of movements and complex forms of behavior. Birds orient themselves in space using acute vision and hearing.

Birds are dioecious; most species are characterized by sexual dimorphism. In females it is only developed left ovary. Fertilization is internal, development is direct. Birds of most species lay eggs into the nests, they warm them with their body heat (incubation), and feed the hatched chicks. Depending on the degree of development of the chicks hatched from the eggs, they are divided into nesting And brood birds.

Features of structure and life activity

Birds have a small head, a long and extremely mobile neck. The jaws are devoid of teeth, elongated and form a beak covered with a horny sheath. The shape of the beak varies greatly due to the variety of food items. Large eyes are located on the sides of the head, and below them there are external auditory openings.

The forelimbs are transformed into a flying organ - wings. The hind limbs have a varied structure, which depends on living conditions and methods of obtaining food. The lower part of the legs and fingers are covered with horny scales. The tail is short, equipped with a fan of tail feathers, and different birds unequal structure.

Leather birds are thin, dry, devoid of glands. The only exception is the coccygeal gland, located under the root of the tail. It secretes a fat-containing secretion with which the bird lubricates its feathers using its beak. The gland is highly developed in waterfowl. Their skin is covered with a kind of horny covering consisting of feathers. Bird feathers serve the purpose of thermoregulation, mainly to preserve heat, create a “streamlined” surface of the body and protect the skin from damage. Although the body of birds is usually completely covered with feathers (with the exception of some bare areas - around the eyes, at the base of the beak, etc.), feathers do not grow on the entire surface of the bird's body. In flying birds, feathers are marked only on certain areas of the skin (parts of the body that bear feathers - pterilia, those that do not bear feathers - apteria), but in flightless birds they evenly cover the entire body.

Rice. 46. ​​Apteria and pteriilia on the body of a bird. Pterilia are marked with dots

A

Rice. 47. Structure of the flight feather: a – general view; b – diagram of the structure of the fan; 1 – beginning; 2 – rod; 3 – fan; 4 – beards of the first order; 5 – second-order beards; 6 – hooks.

The vast majority of birds have contour and down feathers. The contour feather consists of a shaft, a stanchion and a fan (Fig. 47). The fan is formed by numerous plates extending from the shaft on both sides - first-order beards, on which there are thinner second-order beards interlocked with each other using hooks. As a result of this, the interlocking fan is a light elastic plate, which in case of rupture (for example, by wind) is easily restored. Contour feathers form the flying planes of the wings and tail, and also give the bird’s body a streamlined surface. Down feathers have a thin shaft and lack second-order barbs, which is why they do not have solid webs. Down feathers are located under the contour feathers. Their main function is to preserve the bird’s body heat.

Skeleton birds (Fig. 48) is durable and light. Strength is ensured by the early fusion of a number of bones, lightness by the presence of air cavities in them.

Structure skulls birds are similar in structure to the skull of reptiles, but are distinguished by their great lightness, voluminous brain case, which ends with a beak, and has huge eye sockets on the sides.

Rice. 48. Skeleton of a bird: 1 – lower jaw; 2 – skull; 3 – cervical vertebrae; 4 – thoracic vertebrae; 5 – humerus; 6 – bones of the metacarpus and fingers; 7 – bones of the forearm; 8 – shoulder blade; 9 – ribs; 10 – pelvis; 11 – caudal vertebrae; 12 – coccygeal bone; 13 – femur; 14 – tibia bones; 15 – shank; 16 – phalanges of fingers; 17 – carina of the sternum; 18 – sternum; 19 – coracoid; 20 – collarbone.

In an adult bird, the bones of the skull fuse until the sutures completely disappear.

Spine, like all terrestrial vertebrates, it consists of five sections - cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacral and caudal. Only the cervical spine retains greater mobility. The thoracic vertebrae are inactive, while the lumbar and sacral vertebrae are firmly fused with each other (compound sacrum) and with the pelvic bones. Some bones of the shoulder girdle also fuse together: the saber-shaped shoulder blade with the crow bone, the collarbones with each other, which ensures the strength of the shoulder girdle, to which the forelimbs - the wings - are attached. They contain all the typical sections: the humerus, ulna and radius of the forearm and the hand, the bones of which are fused. Only three of the fingers are preserved.

The pelvic girdle provides reliable support for the hind limbs, which is achieved by fusion of the ilium along its entire length with the complex sacrum. Due to the fact that the pelvic (pubic) bones do not grow together and are widely separated, the bird can lay large eggs.

The powerful hind limbs are formed by bones typical of all land animals. To strengthen the lower leg, the fibula is fused to the tibia. The metatarsal bones fuse with part of the tarsal bones to form a bone characteristic only of birds - tarsus. Of the four fingers, most often three are directed forward, one - back.

The chest is formed by the thoracic vertebrae, ribs and sternum. Each rib consists of two bony sections - dorsal and abdominal, movably articulated with each other, which ensures the approach or abduction of the sternum from the spine during breathing. The sternum in birds is large and has a large protrusion - the keel, to which the pectoral muscles are attached, causing the wings to move.

Due to the great mobility and variety of movements muskLatura birds have a high degree of differentiation. The pectoral muscles (1/5 of the total mass of the bird), which are attached to the keel of the sternum and serve to lower the wings, have reached the greatest development. The subclavian muscles located under the pectoral muscles provide lifting of the wings. The flight speed of birds is different: 60-70 km/h for ducks and

65-100 km/h for the peregrine falcon. The highest speed was observed for the black swift - 110-150 km/h.

The powerful leg muscles of birds that have lost the ability to fly allow them to move quickly on land (ostriches run at an average speed of 30 km/h).

The intense motor activity of birds requires large amounts of energy.

Due to this digestive systemnew has a number of features. Food is captured and held by the horny beak, moistened with saliva in the oral cavity and moved into the esophagus. At the base of the neck, the esophagus expands into a crop, which is especially well developed in granivorous birds. In the crop, food accumulates, swells and is partially subjected to chemical processing. In the anterior, glandular section of the stomach of birds, chemical processing of incoming food occurs, in the posterior, muscular section, its mechanical processing occurs. The walls of the muscular section work like millstones and grind hard and rough food. Pebbles swallowed by birds also contribute to this. From the stomach, food sequentially enters the duodenum, small and short large intestine, which ends in the cloaca. Due to underdevelopment of the rectum, birds often empty their intestines, which lightens their weight. Powerful digestive glands (liver and pancreas) actively secrete digestive enzymes into the cavity of the duodenum and process food, depending on its type, in 1 to 4 hours. High costs energy requires a significant amount of feed: 50–80% of body weight per day in small birds and 20–40% in large birds.

Due to flight, birds have a unique structure. orgnew breath. Bird lungs are dense, spongy bodies. The bronchi, having entered the lungs, branch strongly into the thinnest, blindly closed bronchioles, entangled in a network of capillaries, where gas exchange occurs. Some of the large bronchi, without branching, extend beyond the lungs and expand into huge thin-walled air sacs, the volume of which is many times greater than the volume of the lungs (Fig. 49).

Air sacs are located between various internal organs, and their branches pass between the muscles, under the skin and in the cavities of the bones. The act of breathing in a flightless bird is carried out by changing the volume of the chest due to the approach or distance of the sternum from the spine. In flight, such a breathing mechanism is impossible due to the work of the pectoral muscles, and it occurs with the participation of air sacs. When the wings rise, the bags stretch and air is forcefully sucked through the nostrils into the lungs and then into the bags themselves. When the wings lower, the air sacs are compressed and the air from them enters the lungs, where gas exchange occurs again. The exchange of gases in the lungs during inhalation and exhalation is called double breathing. Its adaptive significance is obvious: the more often a bird flaps its wings, the more actively it breathes. In addition, air sacs protect the bird's body from overheating during fast flight.

Rice. 49. Respiratory system of a pigeon: 1 – trachea; 2 – lung;

3 – air bags.

The high level of vital activity of birds is due to more advanced circulatory system Compared to animals of previous classes, they had a complete separation of arterial and venous blood flows. This is due to the fact that the heart of birds is four-chambered and is completely divided into the left - arterial, and the right - venous parts. There is only one aortic arch (the right one) and it arises from the left ventricle. Pure arterial blood flows in it, supplying all tissues and organs of the body.

Rice. 50. Internal organs birds: 1 – esophagus; 2 – glandular stomach; 3 – spleen; 4 – muscular stomach; 5 – pancreas; 6 – duodenum; 7 – small intestine; 8 – rectum; 9 – cecum; 10 – cloaca; 11 – goiter; 12 – liver; 13 – trachea; 14 – lower larynx; 15 – light and air bags; 16 – testes; 17 – vas deferens; 18 – kidneys; 19 – ureters.

The pulmonary artery departs from the right ventricle, carrying venous blood to the lungs. Blood moves quickly through the vessels, gas exchange occurs intensively, and a lot of heat is released. Body temperature is maintained constant and high (in different birds from 38 to 43.5 ° C). This leads to a general increase in the vital processes of the bird’s body.

In response to a decrease in the temperature of the external environment, birds do not hibernate, like amphibians and reptiles, but increase their movement - migrations or flights, that is, they migrate to more favorable living conditions.

Selection end products of metabolism are carried out by large pelvic kidneys. The bladder is missing. Like most reptiles, the product of nitrogen metabolism is uric acid. In the cloaca, the water contained in the urine is absorbed and returned to the body, and thick urine is mixed with the remains of undigested food and excreted.

Brain Birds differ from the brains of reptiles in the larger size of the forebrain hemispheres and the cerebellum. Birds have a sharp vision and excellent hearing. Their eyes are large, especially in nocturnal and crepuscular birds. Accommodation of vision is double, which is achieved by changing the curvature of the lens and the distance between the lens and the retina. All birds have color vision. The hearing organ is represented by the inner, middle ear and external auditory canal. The sense of smell is poorly developed, with the exception of a few species.

Reproduction birds are characterized by a number of progressive features: 1) fertilized eggs, covered with a durable shell, are laid not just in the external environment, but in special structures - nests; 2) eggs develop under the influence of the body heat of the parents and do not depend on random bad weather, which is typical for developing eggs of fish, amphibians and reptiles; 3) nests are protected from enemies by parents; 4) the chicks are not left to their own devices, but are fed, protected and trained by their parents for a long time, which contributes to the preservation of the young.

Fertilization in birds is internal. Due to the laying of large eggs, which weigh down the birds, only the left ovary is developed in females. Birds have the largest eggs in the animal kingdom due to the large amount of yolk they contain. The glands of the oviduct secrete the subshell and shell membranes, through the numerous pores of which gas exchange between the embryo and the external environment occurs.

Origin of birds. Birds are related to reptiles. Probably, the separation of birds from the group of reptiles, which were the ancestors of crocodiles, dinosaurs and flying lizards, occurred at the end of the Triassic or the beginning of the Jurassic period of the Mesozoic era (i.e. 170 - 190 million years ago). The evolution of this group of reptiles proceeded by adapting to climbing trees, and therefore the hind limbs served to support the body, and the front limbs were specialized for clasping branches with the fingers. Subsequently, the ability to flutter from branch to branch and gliding flight developed.

The immediate ancestors of birds have not been found. There are known paleontological finds of a link intermediate between reptiles and birds - Archeopteryx.

Nesting, migrations and migrations. Seasonal phenomena in the life of birds are more pronounced than in other classes, and are of a completely different nature.

With the onset of spring, birds begin to reproduce, they split into pairs, mating games (mating) take place, the nature of which is specific to each species. Many species form pairs for life (large raptors, owls, herons, storks, etc.), others - seasonal pairs. There are species of birds that do not form pairs at all, and all care for the offspring falls to only one sex - the female.

Bird nests are varied, but each species has a more or less specific shape: hollow, hole, molded and spherical nests, etc. Some bird species do not build nests (guillemot, nightjar).

The number of eggs in a clutch varies among different bird species from 1 (guillemots, gulls, diurnal raptors, penguins, etc.) to 26 (gray partridge). In some birds, eggs are incubated by one of the parents (only by females - in gallinaceae, passerines, anseriformes, owls, or only by males - in Australian and American ostriches), in other birds - by both. The duration of incubation varies and is to some extent related to the size of the egg - from 14 days in passerines to 42 in the African ostrich.

Depending on the degree of development of the chicks upon hatching from the egg, two groups of birds are distinguished: brood And nesting(chicklings). The first chicks appear sighted, covered with down, capable of walking and pecking food independently (ostriches, chickens, anseriformes). In nesting chicks, the chicks are completely or partially naked, blind, helpless, remain in the nest for a long time and are fed by their parents (passerines, woodpeckers, swifts, etc.).

In the summer, birds molt, grow, and store nutrients. With the onset of autumn cold, they do not reduce their level of vital activity, like amphibians and reptiles, but, on the contrary, increase it, increasing their mobility and wandering in search of food. In addition, the birds become very fat and thus adapt to wintering.

Resident birds(ptarmigan, tits, sparrows, jays, crows, etc.) with the onset of unfavorable conditions stay in the same area. Nomadic birds(waxwings, bullfinches, crossbills, tap dancers, etc.) leave their summer habitats and fly away relatively short distances. Migratory birds (storks, geese, waders, swifts, orioles, nightingales, swallows, cuckoos, etc.) leave their nesting areas and fly to wintering grounds many thousands of kilometers away. Most of them fly in a flock, and only a few (cuckoo) fly alone. Large birds fly in a certain formation (geese - in a line, cranes - in a wedge), small birds - in random flocks. Insectivores fly away first, then granivores, and last of all, waterfowl and wading birds.

It is believed that bird migrations arose as a result of periodic changes in climatic conditions associated with the changing seasons. The immediate causes of flights are considered to be complex interactions, both external (shortening daylight hours, lowering temperatures, deteriorating conditions for obtaining food) and internal factors(physiological changes in the body due to the end of the breeding season).

When studying flights, the ringing method is of great importance. Caught birds are given an aluminum ring on their paw, on which their number and the institution conducting the ringing are indicated. In the USSR, ringing has been carried out since 1924. All information about banding and hunting of banded birds is sent to the RAS Banding Center (Moscow). The ringing method made it possible to determine the routes and speeds of migration of birds, the consistency of returning from wintering grounds to old nesting sites, wintering sites, etc.

Diversity of birds and their significance. The Bird class is represented by more than 40 orders. Let's look at some of them.

Order Penguinaceae. Distributed in the Southern Hemisphere. Birds swim and dive well with the help of their forelimbs transformed into flippers. The keel is well developed on the sternum. On land, the body is held vertically. The feathers fit tightly together, which prevents them from being blown by the wind and the penetration of water. Subcutaneous fat deposits contribute to thermal protection. They feed in the sea on fish, mollusks, and crustaceans. They nest in colonies. Pairs last for several years. The hatched chicks are covered with thick and short down. After the breeding season, flocks of penguins with grown young migrate to the sea. The emperor penguin nests on the coastal ice of Antarctica, its weight reaches almost 40 kg.

Superorder Ostriformes. Characterized by the absence of a keel on the sternum and the ability to fly. The feathers are unraveled, as the barbs are not interlocked due to the lack of hooks. The powerful hind limbs have two or three fingers, which is associated with the speed of movement. The African ostrich is the largest living bird, reaching a mass of 75–100 kg. Several females (2 – 5) lay eggs weighing about 1.5 kg in a common nest. The male incubates the clutch at night, the females alternate during the day.

Ostrich-like birds include rhea (South America), emu and cassowary (Australia), and kiwi (New Zealand).

Order Acioriformes. They live along the banks of shallow water bodies. A small membrane between the bases of the stork's long toes allows them to confidently walk through swampy places. Birds fly with slow active or soaring flight. They feed on a variety of animal food, grasping it with a long, hard, tweezer-like beak. There are 2 – 8 eggs in the nest; The chicks are fed by both parents. The order includes storks, herons, flamingos, etc.

Storks are migratory birds that winter in Central and Southern Africa and in some areas of South Asia. The white stork is a large bird with large black wings and long red legs. They nest in solitary pairs. The stork scares away prey, slowly wandering through forest clearings, meadows, and the banks of reservoirs. The black stork nests in deep forests. It is listed in the Red Book.

Squad Daytime predator birds. Distributed in a wide variety of habitats: forests, mountains, steppes, ponds, etc. Birds have a short but strong beak with a sharp beak of the upper beak sharply curved downwards. At the base of the beak there is a cere - an area of ​​bare, often colored skin on which the external nostrils open. The muscles of the chest and hind limbs are powerful. The fingers end in large curved claws.

Flight is fast, maneuverable, many species are capable of long-term soaring. Some types of predators eat only dead animals (vultures, vultures, vultures), others catch live prey (falcons, eagles, hawks, buzzards, harriers).

Most species of birds of prey are beneficial by exterminating mouse-like rodents, ground squirrels, and harmful insects. Species that feed on carrion perform a sanitary function. The number of birds of prey has sharply decreased due to changes in landscapes, poisoning by pesticides and direct extermination. Birds of prey are protected in many countries. The following are listed in the Red Book: osprey, short-eared snake eagle, greater spotted eagle, and golden eagle.

Order Owls includes nocturnal birds (owls, eagle owls, owls, barn owls) inhabiting all regions of the globe. They are adapted to hunting at night: they have large eyes directed forward, well-developed hearing, and silent flight. They feed on animal food, mainly mouse-like rodents. They nest in hollows. The eggs are incubated by the female, and the male carries food for her. After 3–6 weeks, the chicks acquire the ability to fly. Exterminate harmful animals. Owl birds need protection.

Order Galliformes includes terrestrial and terrestrial-arboreal birds. They have a short and convex beak, short and wide wings. A voluminous goiter is separated from the esophagus. The muscular stomach is lined with a dense ribbed cuticle. To improve the grinding of food, birds swallow pebbles, which accumulate in the stomach and act as millstones. They feed on plant food - vegetative parts of plants, fruits, seeds, and invertebrates that come across along the way. Males are brighter colored than females.

Almost all species of Galliformes are objects of sport hunting and breeding. Of commercial importance are hazel grouse, white partridge, black grouse, and in some areas - chukar and gray partridge. Due to various human economic activities and excessive hunting, the numbers of many species have decreased and their distribution areas have shrunk.

Order Passerines - the largest order, including approximately 60% of all living species. Its representatives are distributed across all continents except Antarctica. They vary greatly in size, appearance and environmental features. They build nests (sometimes very skillfully) in branches, rock crevices, hollows, on the ground, etc. The chicks hatch blind, naked and slightly pubescent. Most passerines are insectivorous birds.

Larks live in open landscapes (fields, meadows, steppes). They arrive in early spring. They feed only on the ground, invertebrates and seeds. They nest on the ground. Males often sing in the air.

Swallows They nest in river valleys, forest edges, and in human settlements. Insects are caught in the air in flight using a wide mouth. They rarely walk on the ground. Some species (city swallow) build molded nests from lumps of mud, holding them together with sticky saliva; others dig holes in cliffs (shore swallow) or nest in hollows and crevices.

tits nest in hollows, laying 10 to 16 eggs. The female often incubates, and the male feeds her; the chicks are fed by both parents. They feed on various insects and their larvae, eat berries and seeds. They are easily attracted to cultural landscapes when artificial nesting sites are installed. Very useful as exterminators of various harmful insects.

Summarizing the characteristics of the main orders of birds, we can draw conclusions about their significance in nature. Due to their high numbers and high level of vital activity, birds consume huge amounts of plant and animal food every day, significantly influencing natural biocenoses. Their role is especially great in regulating the number of insects and small rodents. Often birds themselves serve as food for other animals.

In addition, birds contribute to the dispersal of plants by dispersing seeds. Pecking at the juicy fruits of rowan, elderberry, lingonberry, bird cherry, blueberry, they fly from place to place and throw out intact seeds along with droppings.

Many birds destroy insect pests of cultivated and valuable wild plants. Birds of prey are also useful, destroying small rodents - pests of field crops and spreaders of infectious diseases (plague, jaundice, etc.).

Many wild birds are hunted for sport and commercial purposes. The collection of eider down, which has great softness and low thermal conductivity, is of great economic importance.

The droppings of sea waterfowl (pelicans, cormorants, etc.) - guano - are used as a valuable fertilizer.

One of the economically profitable branches of animal husbandry is poultry farming, which provides people with valuable meat products, eggs, and feathers. Poultry farming has been put on an industrial basis. In large modern poultry farms, the entire process of raising birds (chickens, ducks, turkeys, geese) is mechanized.

Control questions:

What organizational features are characteristic of birds in connection with adaptation to flight?

What is special about the structure of the digestive system of birds?

What is the characteristic feature of double breathing in birds?

What makes birds warm-blooded?

What progressive features are characteristic of bird reproduction?

What seasonal phenomena are observed in the life of birds?

What is the role of birds in nature and in human economic activity?

(118 species)

Cranes, storks, herons, bitterns

Widely distributed (except in the Arctic

and Antarctica), more often

in the tropics and

subtropics.

Damp meadows, swamps and coastal areas of water bodies

Birds of large and medium size, with a long neck and long legs. They usually nest in colonies

Small fish, amphibians, shellfish

Chick

They nest in trees, near bodies of water, in

thickets, up to 6 eggs.

Petrel-like

(81 species)

Albatrosses, petrels, ocean birds

Pacific Ocean, oceanic islands, Arctic and Antarctic. Some species gather for nesting on just one or a few islands, while outside of nesting time they can be found in a vast area of ​​​​many seas.

Tubenoses are birds (their nostrils are enclosed in horny tubes), of a dense build, long wings, sometimes very long; the beak is medium in size, ending in a hook curved downwards. Legs are either of moderate length or short. A well-developed swimming membrane connects the front three fingers, the rear finger is free and poorly developed.

Various fish visas, plankton, various sea animals

Chick birds.

They lay 1 – 2 eggs. Nests in rocks or in the ground.

Passeriformes

(more than 5000

species)

Sparrows, larks,

swallows, starlings,

crows, magpies, blackbirds, wagtails

The most varied, most common in

forests, some species are found in urban areas.

Mostly forest birds, they have four-fingered limbs (three fingers pointing forward, one back); During the nesting season they live in pairs and build skillful nests.

Insectivores

Chick birds.

They are built by skillful

nests, up to 14 eggs

Loons

(5 types)

Black-throated, white-billed, red-throated, dark-billed loon

They live in Asia, America and northern Europe. During the breeding season, loons inhabit the tundra, forest-tundra and forest belts of Eurasia and North America. At the end of breeding in the fall, they leave their nesting sites and, with the exception of certain populations nesting in the southern regions of their range, fly to spend the winter mainly in the seas of the temperate zone. Typically aquatic birds.

They swim and dive well, fly and walk poorly. The legs are moved almost back. The three front toes are connected by a membrane. The neck is long, the beak is straight and sharp. The wings are short, sharp, the flight is heavy. The coloring of both sexes is the same. During the breeding season they live in pairs in primitive nests.

They feed almost exclusively on fish.

Brood birds.

Most often there are 2 eggs in a clutch; they hatch in turns.

Pigeonidae

(about 400

species)

Wood pigeon, common and great doves, clint and rock pigeon

In the tropics and temperate zones.

Arboreal or terrestrial

Pigeons are characterized by evening and morning flights to the fields, where they find a lot of food. During the nesting period they live in pairs, the rest of the time they usually live in small flocks.

Granivorous birds feed on the seeds of various plants and feed their chicks with them.

Chick birds.

Nests in trees, up to

Anseriformes

(more than 200

species)

Geese, ducks, swans

They live in open areas of various bodies of water.

The body is wide, the limbs are widely spaced with well-developed membranes between the toes; have dense plumage with developed down, a large coccygeal gland; the edges of the wide beak are with teeth or with transverse plates that form a filtering apparatus (filter beak). They dive well, foraging for food in the water or at the bottom of a reservoir.

Worms, mollusks, crustaceans, insects, algae

Brood birds.

Nests on the shore, in hollows, other people's holes, up to 20 eggs.

Woodpeckers

(about 400

species)

Greater and lesser spotted woodpeckers, green woodpeckers, black woodpeckers, or yellow woodpeckers

Most are forest dwellers. Greatest diversity in tropical forests

A sharp, chisel-shaped beak, a long, sharp, jagged tongue, elastic ends of the tail feathers curved towards the support, legs with two toes pointing forward and two back, and also have other features that facilitate feeding on tree trunks. The exception is the whirligig, which has a straight and weak beak, and the tail rods are not elastic. Unlike other woodpeckers, the whirligig is migrant.

Insectivores

Chick birds.

They nest in hollows or burrows

Crane-like

(about 210 species)

Cranes, threefingers, agamis, rails, sun herons, seriemas, clawfoots, bustards, avdotki

Birds open spaces.

Distributed throughout the world, excluding regional areas.

Very large birds with high legs and a long neck. The head is relatively small, the beak is long, sharp, straight. The wings are long and wide. The body is somewhat elongated and laterally compressed. They have long legs and a neck. There are 4 toes, 3 of which are directed forward and 1 backward, there are no membranes between them.

The food of cranes is mainly plant-based, but some species large quantities They also eat animal food. Food is obtained on the ground.

Brood birds.

Nests are usually on the ground.

Cassowaries

3 types of cassowaries

Rainforests

New Guinea and

Australia

An order of ratites. Three-toed, large birds, with

underdeveloped wings, head

brightly colored

plant foods and some small animals.

Brood birds.

Nests on the ground, 3-7

Kiwibrass

Includes one family and three (according to the latest data - five) kiwis belonging to one .

Several types of kiwi

Lives in damp, evergreen forests of New Zealand

Flightless ratites. The body is pear-shaped, with a small and short body. They weigh from 1.4 to 4 kg. They have strong four-toed legs and long narrow legs with nostrils at the very tip, not developed, no tail, larger, reminiscent of a thick one. Kiwis are nocturnal birds that rely primarily on their sense of smell; very weak.

Chick birds. There is one nest in a hole or under the roots of a tree, less often - two

Nightjars

(23 genera with 93 species)

Divided into two suborders. The suborder Guajaro, or zhiryaki, and the suborder of nightjars proper, which includes four families: frogmouths, gigantic nightjars, owl nightjars and true nightjars. In total, the order has 23 genera with 93 species.

Distributed mainly in tropical and subtropical regions of the globe.

The wings are long and pointed, with 10, less often with 11 flight feathers. The tail is also long, with 6 pairs of tail feathers, the legs are short, they move on the ground mostly slowly, with awkward jumps, a short and very wide beak with a special device at the corners of the mouth - for catching insects at night on the fly

Insectivores

Chick birds.

Lays 1-4 eggs,

Hummingbirds

(330 species)

White-throated Hummingbird, Anna's Hummingbird, Ruby-throated Hummingbird,

All species of hummingbirds live exclusively in the forests of South and Central America; in North America they are found only in its southern part. The range of some species can be very limited (such species are called endemics).

They are the tiniest birds and one of the smallest vertebrates in general. The length of most species fits into a couple of centimeters, weight 2-4 g, even the largest species - the giant hummingbird - has a length of 20 cm, half of which is the tail. The body proportions of hummingbirds resemble passerine birds: a medium-sized head, a short neck, rather long wings , their legs are short and very weak. They can sit on branches, clasping them with their paws, but cannot move on the ground. They spend most of their lives in flight.

These birds feed exclusively on nectar and pollen. These foods are rich in carbohydrates but poor in protein. To meet their protein needs, hummingbirds eat small insects.

Chick birds. The female lays 2 tiny eggs (the weight of the smallest type of egg is 2 mg!) and incubates them for 16-18 days.

Cuckoo-like

(147 species)

Common cuckoo

Widely distributed, especially painful

great diversity in tropical forests.

The legs of terrestrial animals are long, adapted for fast running, while those of arboreal animals are short. Many are good

Insectivores

Chick birds.

Characteristic of nesting

Galliformes

(283 species)

Hazel grouse, black grouse, quail, partridges, wood grouse, pheasants, wild bank and domestic chickens, turkeys

Forests, steppes, deserts

They have short rounded wings (they fly heavily), strong legs adapted for raking soil or forest litter when obtaining food, four-fingered with large claws, have dense plumage, short and wide wings, ensuring rapid takeoff and short flights;

the beak is relatively large.

Adult birds are herbivorous; chicks feed mainly on insects, worms and other invertebrates.

Brood birds.

Nests on the ground in

recesses up to 20 eggs

Rhea-shaped

ordinary and

long-billed

South America

Flightless, no tail feathers,

small feathers cover the neck and

They are omnivorous birds and feed on broad-leaved plants, seeds, fruits, roots, insects and small vertebrates.

Brood birds.

Nests on the ground, up to 40 eggs

Pelicaniformes

Frigates, phaetons, cormorants, gannets, darters

Distributed throughout the world, except for the polar regions, mainly on the oceanic coasts of continents and archipelagos.

(Copepods). Large freshwater, partly seabirds with very short legs, on which all 4 toes are connected by a wide swimming membrane. The thumb is facing inward. The beak is long with a leathery sac. Monogamous.

They feed exclusively on fish

Chick birds.

Lays 2 to 4 eggs

Penguin-like

15-17 types

Emperor penguin, small, adélie

Antarctica, islands

and the coast of the south

hemispheres

The wings are narrow, unsuitable for flight, the feet have membranes, the legs are carried back, the skeleton is heavy, and the feather cover is very thick. Birds swim and dive well with the help of their forelimbs transformed into flippers. The keel is well developed on the sternum. On land, the body is held vertically. The feathers fit tightly together, which prevents them from being blown by the wind and the penetration of water. Subcutaneous fat deposits contribute to thermal protection.

They feed on fish, mollusks, and crustaceans in fruit drinks.

Brood birds.

Nests in colonies on the shore, 1-2 eggs. Several pairs are saved.

Grebes

(20 types)

Families: Grebes, White-headed Grebes, Western Grebes, Lesser Grebes, Pied-billed Grebes, Rollandii

Distributed on all continents except Antarctica. They live in tropical, temperate and subpolar regions. Only the red-necked grebe is found north of the Arctic Circle; Grebes, unlike loons, have not colonized the distant polar regions. The ranges of some species of grebes are limited to certain islands, such as Madagascar or New Zealand.

Strong short legs are carried far back relative to the body; they help grebes to swim and dive well. The toes are not connected by membranes, but are edged on the sides with hard skin blades up to a centimeter wide, no less convenient for rowing. In this case, three fingers are directed forward, and the fourth is directed back. The legs work very effectively from behind, forming something like ship propeller.

They feed on fish, arthropods, insects and small crustaceans.

Brood birds. After hatching, the chicks can swim immediately

Parrots

(up to 350 species)

Cockatoo, Gray, Macaw, Lory

They inhabit subtropics and tropics, most numerous in the Australian faunal region (the probable center of origin of the order). Also distributed in Southeast Asia, India, West Africa, South America and Central America.

Bright plumage. The most characteristic feature of the order is the beak, the height of which at the base is more than twice its width, and sometimes exceeds its length. The legs are rather short, thick, feathered to the heel. The 1st and 4th toes on the paws are turned back, so that parrots not only grasp branches well with their paws, but can bring food to their beak with their paws. The claws are strongly curved, but rather weak. The wings are large and pointed

Chick birds.

There are 1-12 (usually 2-5) eggs in a clutch.

Birds and mice

Brown-winged, White-headed, Red-backed, White-backed, Blue-capped, Red-faced

Distributed throughout sub-Saharan Africa, they live in savannas, bushes, sparse forests, and rise to mountains up to 2500 m. They actively colonize city parks and squares; they are considered pests on plantations and orchards

Tree and bush birds, good at climbing branches, poor at flying; the wings are short and wide, the plumage is loose and soft; the structure of the paws indicates a deep adaptation to climbing, and the structure of the jaw apparatus and digestive system indicates the consumption of succulent high-calorie food. Paws are short, with sharp claws,

Fleshy fruits and leaves, buds, buds, flower nectar. Additionally, they use animal food - they catch insects, and occasionally destroy the nests of small birds.

Coraciiformes

(6 families)

Ground rakshas, ​​kingfishers, rollers, curolas, shurkovs, momots, todiums

Inhabitants of various landscapes, some species are found in Russia, but mainly live in tropical and subtropical forests.

Bright, motley plumage

Insectivores

Chicks.. Lay from 2 to 10 eggs.

Charadriiformes

Woodcock, lapwing, plovers, waders and other waders.

They live in wetlands, along the coasts of rivers and other bodies of water.

Small and medium-sized birds, with long legs and a thin, long beak.

They feed mainly on invertebrates

Brood birds

Owls

(more than 220 species)

Eagle owl, owl, barn owl, scops owl, tawny owl

Night predators.

They live in forests, sometimes near people

Nocturnal birds of prey, with strong curved beaks and sharp claws, sensitive hearing and sharp eyesight, have loose and soft plumage, allowing them to fly silently

small mammals, birds or the bats, there are insectivorous and piscivorous species. Plant foods play a negligible role in the diet

Chick birds.

Nests in trees

hollows, up to 10 eggs

Falconiformes

(270 species)

Falcons, hawks, kites, eagles

They live in forests, mountains, and plains.

Everywhere except

Antarctica.

Diurnal birds of prey with strong legs with sharp curved claws, a hooked beak, keen eyesight; the wings are either narrow, sharp, facilitating fast flight, or wide, allowing them to soar in the air in search of prey.

They feed mainly on various birds and mammals.

Chick birds.

Nests in trees, hollows, on rocks, on the ground, 1-2 or 5-7 eggs

Ostriformes

African ostrich

Birds of steppes and deserts.

Eastern and Southern

Large birds; have weak, unsuitable wings and strong legs;

there is no keel on the sternum, the flight feathers do not have dense webs. They cannot fly, the wings are used as a sail in a tailwind and as a rudder during sharp turns; Fast running is facilitated by reducing the number of toes to two. They live in herds.

They feed on plant seeds, insects, lizards

Brood birds.

Nests in sand, up to 30 eggs.

Swift-shaped

(about 390 species)

Black and white-rumped swift; swallows (barn swallow, or killer whale, city swallow, or funnel swallow, shore swallow)

Birds of open air spaces. They spend most of their lives in the air

They have long, narrow wings, highly developed pectoral muscles, a notched tail - a rudder during flight. They catch insects in flight with a wide-opening mouth, along the edges of which there are bristles that enlarge it. The legs are short and fit tightly to the body during flight.

Different kinds insects

Chick birds.

They nest on cliffs and under the roofs of houses.

Tinamuformes

(47 species)

Forests and steppes of South and Central America

Thin neck, slightly elongated head, Strong legs of medium length, with three toes pointing forward and one back. With their help, the tinamous is able to run quite quickly (similar to partridges).

Omnivores: plant foods of any kind, small invertebrate animals such as ants, termites, beetles, locusts, insect larvae, snails and earthworms. The largest species feed on small vertebrates: lizards, frogs and mice

Brood birds.

A few hours after hatching, they are able to run and eat on their own.

Trogon-like

(40 species)

African, Sunda, Eared, Asian and other trogons

They live in tropical and subtropical forests of three parts of the world: America (from the southern borders of Texas and Arizona to Argentina), Asia (South and Southeast Asia), Africa (sub-Saharan Africa, but without the southern tip of the continent). They are found both in hot valleys and in cool zones of high mountains. Some species penetrate the cultural landscape: they nest on coffee plantations.

Bright plumage, wings short and rounded, tail long, beak short and wide, legs weak, tarsus feathered. Distinctive feature trogon is the arrangement of the toes: the first and second toes are directed back, the third and fourth - forward

They feed by flying up from branches and snapping at insects or picking small fruits; They also feed on mollusks. At the same time, insects predominate in the diet of African species, while fruits and berries predominate in Asian and American species (a quetzal can, on occasion, grab a frog, lizard or snake).

Chick birds.

The female lays 2 to 4 rounded eggs at the bottom of the hollow,

Turaciformes

Hoopioformes

(includes 45 species)

Hoopoes, rhinoceros princes

live in the forests of tropical zones of Africa, South and Southeast Asia.

Birds weighing from 150 g to 4 kg. It is characterized by a large, downwardly curved beak with a horny outgrowth at the base. It is very light due to the spongy structure of the bone base and the presence of an internal cavity. The toes are fused, eyelashes on the upper eyelid and a highly developed system are characteristic air bags

They are practically omnivorous: they feed on various fruits and fruits, as well as insects, reptiles, and bird eggs.

Chick birds.

1–5 eggs, incubation up to 1.5 months.

They nest in natural hollows. The male immurs the female in a hollow using clay and droppings moistened with secretions of the salivary glands. Only a small gap remains, through which he feeds the female and then the chicks with belches from semi-digested fruits.

Flamingoformes

(6 types)

Andean, Red, Lesser, Common, Chilean, James Flamingo

Africa, the Caucasus (Azerbaijan), Southeast and Central Asia, and South and Central America

Colonies of the pink or common flamingo also exist in southern Spain, France and Sardinia. This species is the largest and most common species in the family. Its height reaches 130 cm and it is found on all continents of the Old World.

Thin long legs, a flexible neck and plumage, the color of which varies from white to red. Their special distinguishing feature is their massive downwardly curved beak, with which they filter food from water or mud; the upper part of the beak is movable. The front toes are connected by a swimming membrane.

Small crustaceans, insect larvae, worms, molluscs and algae, plankton

Brood birds.

The chicks are born well developed, active and leave the nest within a few days.

Prepared by: Andrey Smakhtin, student of group 1-ITS9-12-VB

Teacher: Rodionova E.V.

Anseriformes, or lamellate-billed(lat. Anseriformes) - a detachment of new palate birds, which, along with such familiar birds as geese, ducks, swans, also includes more exotic families (for example, palamedea from South America). Species of the order are widespread and play big role in the biosphere of the Earth's temperate latitudes. Some species of Anseriformes are of great agricultural importance. In the order Anseriformes there are birds of large and medium size. The largest representative of the order is the mute swan, reaching 13 kg in weight. The smallest is the teal, which weighs about 200-300 g. As a rule, anseriformes have a weighty body and a relatively small head located on a long neck. With the exception of palamedae, anseriformes have a wide and flat beak, the tip of which is often marked with a hardening that makes it easier to pluck foliage and plant material. On the sides of the edge of the beak, jagged plates form a kind of sieve that allows you to filter edible particles from the water. They are especially developed in mergansers, which, thanks to these denticles, can hold caught fish in their beaks.

Charadriiformes(lat. Charadriiformes) - one of the largest orders of aquatic and semi-aquatic birds, distributed throughout the world and differing significantly both morphologically and in behavioral characteristics. The birds are small to medium sized, with weights ranging from 19-30 g for the Little Sandpiper ( Calidris minutilla) up to 1.3-2 kg for sea gulls ( Larus marinus). Among them there are both colonial birds (such as tirkushki) and those living separately (for example, the hermit snail ( Tringa solitaria)). Morphologically, the order is quite diverse, although it also has common anatomical features. In behavior, the main link is attachment to the aquatic habitat - to sea or inland waters. Unlike many other birds, their biodiversity from the tropics to temperate and northern latitudes does not decrease, but rather increases, which has led to the development of various morphological and behavioral mechanisms adapted to cold climate conditions. One of the main such mechanisms is osmoregulation, as a result of which the control of the removal of water and salts from the body ensures the constancy of the osmotic pressure of blood and other intracellular fluid.

Almost all carnivorous species feed exclusively on other animals. They deftly lie in wait for their prey and pursue it in the air or on the ground, between tree branches or even in water, until they finally catch it and kill it; sometimes they are content with the corpses they find; in a word, in this respect they are quite similar to predatory mammals. Diurnal predators include birds of different sizes: large, medium, small. But no matter how great the difference between them in this respect, general character visible everywhere without exception, and diurnal raptors are difficult to mix with other birds.
In general terms, it is quite easy to characterize these birds. The body is strong, laterally compressed, with a broad chest; The limbs are powerful and give the impression of excess strength, despite the fact that they sometimes seem disproportionately long. Their head is large, beautifully rounded, only in exceptional cases elongated; the neck is usually short and always thick, even when it reaches an extraordinary length; The body is short and wide, especially in the thoracic region. Their beak is short, the upper half of it has a curved back, a hooked tip and is covered at the base with a wax; but the upper half is motionless and wider than the lower half, which it embraces. Often the sharpness of the edges is enhanced by the presence of a tooth at the end of the upper jaw. The legs are short, strong and long-toed; the fingers (three forward, one backward) have developed claws, thanks to which the birds are adapted to catching prey. The claws are more or less strongly curved and pointed, rarely slightly curved and blunt; their upper side is rounded, the lower side is mostly somewhat hollowed out, so that it presents two sharp edges. They thus serve as a convenient grasping organ and at the same time a terrible weapon.

Birds warm-blooded oviparous vertebrates. A characteristic feature is a cover of feathers. The ability to fly is the most important feature of birds, although it is absent in some species, such as ostriches. The upper limbs are shaped like wings. Birds have a special structure of respiratory and digestive organs, which is closely related to their ability to fly. Another distinctive feature is the presence of a beak.

Classification of birds

The phylum of vertebrates is divided into classes: fish, amphibians (amphibians), reptiles (reptiles), mammals and birds. Classes are divided into orders, orders into families, families into genera, genera into species. An individual animal is called an individual.

There are also more complex systematic units, for example superorders and suborders. The division of groups of orders into superorders shows the difference in the origin and structure of these groups of animals, but not so significant as to divide them into different classes. For example, in the class of birds, two superorders are distinguished: penguins and typical (new palate) birds. Typical birds include all the bird tribe known to us, except for penguins, which in their structure and origin differ significantly from the rest. The advisability of separating all ratites into the superorder of running birds is also discussed.

The division of family groups into suborders shows a significant difference between them, but not enough to divide them into different orders.

For example, let’s classify a well-known inhabitant of cities and villages - the sparrow:

House Sparrow

• Kingdom: Animals
• Type: vertebrates
• Class: birds
• Superorder: typical (new palate) birds
• Order: passerines
• Suborder: singers
• Family: weaver
• Genus: sparrows
• Species: House Sparrow

There is no single view on the classification of birds. Scientists are still arguing about, for example, which order to classify the South American bird hoatzin - to the order of gallinaceae or to the order of cuckoos, and some propose to separate this unique bird into a separate order. For example, the taxonomy of the order of cranes causes a lot of controversy - is it worth including eight families of birds, which can well be considered as independent orders? Similar questions arise with other large units. There are even more disputes at the level of families, genera and species. We will follow one of the most established, “classical” schemes for the distribution of orders and families.