Aves

Author: Christina Barton

__**EXAMPLES**__: There are many different types of aves or birds, over 9,000 species in the world.

greater flamingo //Phoenicopterus ruber//

golden eagle //Aquila chrysaetos//

Macaw //Psittacidae//

tundra swan //Cygnus columbianus//

__**HABITAT**__:
 * Varies based on the bird, but some are found on every continent and in most terrestrial habitats.
 * most bird diversity in the tropics

__**TYPE OF COELOM:**__
 * Birds are deuterostomes, meaning their blastospore develops into the anus, not the mouth.


 * __ENDOSKELETON or EXOSKELETON__:**
 * Birds have an endoskeleton, but it is very lightweight and the bones are strong and hollow.


 * __TYPE OF NERVOUS SYSTEM__:**
 * Birds have a well developed, acute nervous system because they use their vision a lot and most have a poor sense of smell.
 * They also have excellent muscle reflexes.
 * The most used part of the bird's brain is the one that controls flight.

__**FEEDER**__:
 * Birds are either predatory or foragers or both. They use their beaks and their claws to catch prey or pick up fruit, seeds, and plants. Different birds have differently adapted beaks that help them catch the types of prey they eat.

__**SYMMETRY**__:
 * Birds are bilaterally symmetric, meaning when cut in half, each side is a mirror of the other.

__**REPRODUCTION**__:
 * Birds are usually socially monogamous for one breeding season or for a few years, but never for life.
 * Birds lay hard shelled amniotic eggs that they brood until hatching, usually in a nest.

__**CIRCULATORY SYSTEM**__:
 * Birds have a four chambered heart that completely separates O2 rich blood from O2 poor blood.
 * The left ventricle pumps blood to the rest of the body while the right ventricle pumps blood solely to the lungs.

__**ENDOTHERMIC or EXOTHERMIC:**__
 * Birds are able to regulate their body temperature, therefore they are endothermic.

__**SEGMENTATION**__:
 * Birds are unsegmented animals, but their bodies consist of three main parts: the head, the body, and the limbs.

__**WORKS CITED**__: "Bird." //Wikipedia the encyclopedia//. Wikipedia, 26 Mar 2011. Web. 28 Mar 2011. . Irwin, Rebecca. "Deuterostome Condition." 11 Nov 1998. University of Tennessee Martin Department of Biological Sciences. 28 Mar 2011. . Littlehales, Bates. "Tundra Swan." //National Geographic//. National Geographic Society, 2011. Web. 28 Mar 2011. . Mader, Sylvia S. "Biology." Ed. Thomas C. Lyon. New York City: McGraw Hill, 2007. Print. McDonald, Joe. "Golden Eagle." //National Geographic//. National Geographic Society, 2011. Web. 28 Mar 2011. .// Nichols, Michael. "Greater Flamingo." National Geographic//. National Geographic Society, 2011. Web. 28 Mar 2011. .// Sartore, Joel. "Macaw." National Geographic//. National Geographic Society, 2011. Web. 28 Mar 2011. .// Waggoner, Ben. "Aves: Life History and Ecology." www.ucmp.berkeley.edu//. University of Central Arkansas, 11 jan 1996. Web. 28 Mar 2011. .