BIRDS CLASS AVES

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BIRDS(CLASS AVES)
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SPECIES
Richard Bowdler-Sharpe 1847-1909
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SPECIES
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SMALLESTBEE HUMMINGBIRDc. 1.8 g
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A one pound coin weighs 9.8 g
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BLUE TIT
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LARGESTOSTRICHcan exceed 100 kg
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ARCHOSAURS
  CROCODILES PTEROSAURS DINOSAURS BIRDS
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DEFINED BY

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• feathers consisting mainly of keratin
•  

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LIVING HAVE

• lower jaw of single bone
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• a secondary (hard) palate
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• four-chambered heart 

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LIVING LACK

• teeth
• bony tail
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• muscular diaphragm
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•  

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MOST FLY

•  
•  

About 123 out of over 10,000 species are
secondarily flightless
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FLYING

•  
•  

• Unusually light for size
• Pneumatic bones
• Air sacs one way flow in lungs
• Weight centralised

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MORE KEYFEATURES

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• Hard-shelled amniote eggs
• Never viviparous virtually
• all have to incubate eggs
• Main senses sight sound

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TWO SUB-CLASSES
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PALAEOGNATHS (a) Flightless Ratites 10
 
Emu Ostrich
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PALAEOGNATHS (b) Weakly flying Tinamous
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NEOGNATHS
All others
 
gt 9,600
Gamebirds Wildfowl
gt 425
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THE OTHER NEOGNATHS
24 orders 3 embarrassments! 21 orders
in seven series
 
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THE OTHER NEOGNATHS
24 orders 3 embarrassments!
2 exceed 75 species 21 orders
in seven series 12 in five series exceed 75
species
 
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EMBARRASSING NEOGNATHS
Two groups exceeding 75 species
PARROTS CUCKOOS
 
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TWO LARGEST NEOGNATH SERIES
NEAR-PASSERINES Kingfishers,
etc. Jacamars Woodpeckers PASSERINES or
SONGBIRDS Sub-oscines Oscines
 
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NEAR-PASSERINES Kingfishers, etc.
 
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NEAR-PASSERINES Jacamars

 
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NEAR-PASSERINES Woodpeckers
 
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PASSERINES or SONGBIRDS Over half of all birds
in this Order Two very unequal
groups Sub-oscines few Oscines many
 
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SUB-OSCINES
Muscles of syrinx not connected to bronchial
bones Simple songs Mainly South America
 
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OSCINES
Muscles of syrinx attached to extremities of
bronchial semi-rings Songs often
complex Global
 
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NEOGNATHS

Palaeo. Gamebirds 1 2 3 4
5 6 7 Wildfowl
 
rRNA tree
Mobile Palate
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NEAR-PASSERINES PASSERINES

Palaeo. Gamebirds 1 2 3 4
5 6 7 Wildfowl
 
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PRECOCIAL ALTRICIAL
 
Incubation Young more costly
vulnerable
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Palaeo. Gamebirds 1 2 3 4
5 6 7 Wildfowl