Chordates Ornithology

Below are some useful links about Ornithology on Chordates:

See also:

ABCD: Avian Brain Circuitry Database - Searchable database of the regions of a bird’s brain.

The Atlas of Bird Migration - Comprehensive article on the great challenge faced by long distance migrants which have to find their way to winter quarters and return to their breeding grounds in the spring. [PDF]

Avian Reproduction: Anatomy and the Bird Egg - Notes on the bird reproductive system and the development of the embryo, with explanatory drawings and photographs.

Avian Reproduction: Clutch Size, Incubation and Hatching - Notes on clutch size optimization in birds, reproductive success, embryo development, incubation and the hatching process, with links to other similar articles.

Beak - Article describing the anatomy of this distinctive feature of birds which, in addition to eating, can be used for grooming, manipulating objects, killing prey, probing for food, courtship, and feeding the young.

Bird Feathers - This article discusses the features of feathers and the different types of feathers found on different parts of the bird.

Bird Milk - Article describing how the young of some birds are fed on special secretions from their parents.

Bird Respiratory System - Article explaining how air sacs play an important part in the gaseous exchange in birds, with many diagrams.

Bird Skull Collection - Images and data about skulls of western Palearctic and Tropical species, with complete skeletons of some species.

Birdcall synthesis - Article describing how birds use their syrinx, throat and beak to make a wide range of tones without the sophisticated muscle structure possessed by humans.

Birdnet - Ornithological Council's website with comprehensive data about North American ornithological resources.

Chicken Embryo - A number of fine photographs of the development of a chick inside the egg.

Creches - Article describing how some birds adopt the strategy of grouping their young, leaving them with a guardian while both parents go off to forage.

Development and Uses of Avian Skeleton Collections - Skeletons are essential for the identification of fossils, bones from archaeological sites and food items taken by predators as well as histological and physiological studies. [PDF]

EcoBirds Behaviour - Provides a series of bird articles covering nesting, song, migration and the curious habit of anting.

Electronic Resources on Ornithology - Annotated links and ornithological articles by Christopher Majka.

Feather Quest - Interactive quiz. Can you identify the birds from which these feathers come?

Flapping Flight: Inertial Studies - Technical article by researchers at Bristol University who measured the wings of bats and birds and calculated their efficiency in flight.

Flight in Birds - How do birds fly? An introduction to flight in birds examining wing shape, airflows, flapping flight and gliding.

Incubation: Heating the Egg - Most birds create the required temperature by sitting on their eggs but some transfer heat through their webbed feet, and the megapodes of Australia bury them in a mound of decaying vegetation.

Index of Lectures - A series of articles on different aspects of bird biology such as feathers, flight, respiration, territoriality, reproduction and metabolism.

List of Essays - Many articles on every aspect of bird life. A comprehensive and useful resource.

The Making of an Egg - Describes the development of the egg of a bird from the release of a mature ovum to the completed egg with shell being laid.

Mechanics of Respiration in Birds - Notes and diagrams explaining how birds ventilate their lungs.

The Mystery of Migration - Article that tries to answer the question of how and why birds migrate.

The Normal Moulting Process in Birds - Talk given by Avian Vet A. K. Jones to a conference of the Association of Avian Veterinarians in August 1998.

Ornithological Worldwide Literature - OWL is a compilation of citations and abstracts from worldwide publications concerning the science of ornithology.

Ornithology: Science of Birds - Includes data on the science of wild birds, with an emphasis on conservation and education.

Parental Care - The young of passerines when first hatched are naked, blind, and helpless and require much care which involves feeding, training and protection from predators.

Polygyny - Most birds are monogamous, but in some species the occurrence of polygyny, where one male mates with more than one female, is related to high-quality territories with an abundance of resources.

Population Dynamics - Essay discussing the factors behind the variation in the number of individuals in a bird population over time.

Power Napping in Pigeons - Max Planck scientists find evidence that pigeons prevented from taking naps in the afternoon sleep more intensely at night. [PDF]

A Qualitative and Quantitative Study of the Lung of an Ostrich - The colossal body size, the relinquishment of flight and the extreme thermal stresses on the ground make the examination of an ostrich’s lungs rewarding.

Raptor Information System - The RIS is a free searchable catalog of over 38,000 references about the biology and management of birds of prey.

Sense of Direction - Article from the Princeton Weekly Bulletin outlining how Biologist Martin Wikelski is helping to settle the long-standing debate over how migratory birds manage to navigate in darkness and bad weather.

Sexual Selection - Female birds of some species tend to choose as mates those males holding the most desirable territories, but there is little evidence that females preferentially select males with different degrees of ornamentation.

Site Tenacity - Many birds return to the same nesting site each season. This essay discusses why this should be so.

Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center - Ecological and land-management research, education, conservation policy, data on migration and fact sheets.

The Structure of Avian Skin and Feathers - Technical article describing a bird's skin and associated structures, its feathers, beak, claws and spurs.

Teachers' Domain: Bird Beak Gallery - Provides an essay on beaks, and photographs of birds heads and beaks.

Territoriality - Article describing how birds try to exclude others of the same species from their home range.

Urban Birds - Article discussing how birds have adapted to urban foraging amid the artificial concrete and steel ecosystems of cities.

Vocal Copying - Article describing how birds learn their songs from adult tutors and may incorporate sounds from other species into their repertoire.

Vocal Dialects - Article describing how the songs of many avian species show geographic variation.

Vocal Functions - Songs identify the species of the singing bird. The territorial song of males serves the dual purpose of territorial proclamation directed at other males and of mate attraction directed toward females.

What is a Bird? - This article describes the evolution of birds, their value to humanity, characteristic features, behavior and their reproductive behavior.

When and How do Birds Migrate - Article discussing the varying strategies adopted by birds in finding their way when taking part in their long distance journeys.

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A Tale of Two Boobies - Biological examination and dissection at the Slater Museum of a booby that strayed to the Pacific Northwest. [RSS]

Wing Image Collection - The Slater Museum of Natural History provides a comprehensive selection of photographs of bird wings. [RSS]

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