What are the characteristics of birds and animals?
What are the characteristics of birds and animals? There are a large number of birds in our country. Birds of many families can live on land and in the sea. Different Different types of birds have different characteristics, so there are still many characteristics of birds and animals. Let’s take a look at the characteristics of birds and animals. What are the characteristics of birds and animals 1
List:
1: The most basic appearance characteristics of general birds: Their bodies are basically covered with feathers, only feathers or The difference is just more or less and different colors. Generally, the bodies of birds are spindle-shaped, and this body structure is more suitable for flying in the air.
Birds have no teeth, they generally only have horny beaks. The respiratory organs of birds generally have an air sac in addition to the lungs. It is precisely because of these body structures that they can perform dual breathing. In order to reduce their own weight, birds' bones are generally hollow.
2: Characteristics of different birds: Take migratory birds and road birds as an example: migratory birds, their size differences are still relatively large, some are larger, Some are smaller in size, with the largest reaching around 170cm and the smallest only around 30cm. Their feathers are often thicker, and their down feathers are usually more developed. These hairs form a more effective insulation layer, protecting them from cold in the water. Most of the beaks of swimming birds are flat or hook-shaped. Yes, these beaks have an anti-slip effect when they hunt for food in the water, preventing the captured water creatures from escaping.
Road birds, they usually live on land. Their physiques are relatively strong, and their wingtips are rounded. Due to these special structures, they generally do not fly in the air, and even if they want to fly, they cannot fly long distances.
The bill of the road bird is blunt and hard. Because they have been running on land for a long time, their feet and legs are relatively developed and powerful. Their claws are hook-shaped, making them ideal for hunting and running on land. The main food of these road birds is plant leaves, fruits and seeds. What are the characteristics of birds? 2
Characteristics of wading birds
In the ecological taxonomy of birds, birds with long necks and long legs that forage in shallow waters of swamps and wetlands are classified as Collectively known as wading birds. Among them, storks, herons, cranes, and snipe birds that prey on small fish, shrimps, and aquatic insects have more obvious long necks and long legs.
In fact, mammals and birds have seven cervical vertebrae regardless of their neck length, but the length of each cervical vertebra is different. The long legs of wading birds are an evolution of coordination with long necks and adaptation to wading for prey.
Birds are also commonly known as birds. There are currently more than 9,000 known species of birds in the world. China alone has recorded more than 1,300 species, many of which are from China. Endemic bird species.
Birds are divided into two categories: birds and domestic poultry: Birds: wild birds that are good at flying. Birds feed on plant seeds, insects, voles or snakes, and most of them are beneficial to humans.
Poultry: Many poultry are originally wild birds, birds domesticated by humans for economic or other purposes. The raising and domestication of poultry has a history of thousands of years in China, and many world-famous breeds have been cultivated. For example, among the flightless domestic ducks domesticated from mallards, the Peking duck is an excellent breed, producing 70 to 120 eggs per year, and the delicious Peking duck is well-known at home and abroad.
Some other common poultry include: geese domesticated from wild geese, and domestic chickens domesticated from jungle fowl. They retain the ability to fly, but cannot fly too far. They are the most common poultry raised by humans. In addition to providing human meat and eggs, poultry also have important economic value for their feathers and feces.
Why do wading birds that fish from the water have long necks?
In the neck of wading birds, the neck muscles are usually relaxed and curled into an S-shape, and the cervical vertebrae and muscles bear the weight of the head and neck with minimal force.
When hunting, the neck muscles rapidly contract and straighten forward, and the attack speed is extremely fast, becoming a highly efficient hunting function. The fishing method of wading birds is fast and labor-saving and has a higher success rate than swimming birds diving to catch fish.
Take the yellow reed turtle of the heron family as an example. It stands in shallow water with its neck curled up before hunting. It has excellent eyesight and can overcome the visual deviation caused by light refraction on the water surface. Once the prey appears within the attack range, , the neck muscles of the yellow reed turtle contract extremely quickly, and the neck is released instantly like a compressed spring, attacking the prey at a speed of about 20 meters per second (equivalent to an instantaneous burst of speed of about 70 kilometers). The advantage of a long neck is the speed of attack It is fast, has high accuracy over long distances, and the possibility of prey escaping is small.
The yellow reed turtle usually has its neck curled up and is covered by neck feathers. The neck does not appear to be very long. Only at the moment when it attacks the prey can you see that the length of its neck is nearly twice its body length. Its attack The speed is so fast that it is over before the naked eye can see it clearly, and the fish has already been caught in the mouth. No wonder he has the nickname "Long Neck Lao Wait".
Herons that use ejection necks to catch fish include great egrets, yellow-billed egrets, herons, little egrets, night herons, pond herons, green herons, etc. Some herons are very smart and know how to use bait to catch fish. Video data once recorded that the green herons in the park used bread dropped by people as bait. They placed the bait in the attack position without any instructions, and used the fish to eat the bait, easily catching larger fish. Reduce waiting time and increase fishing success rate. The black heron and blue heron take advantage of the fact that fish like to stay safe in shaded water. They use their wings to provide shade to attract fish. At the same time, they remove the visual deviation of light refraction on the water surface and easily capture fish by ejecting their necks.
Long necks and long legs are the main characteristics of wading birds. The stork-shaped birds that fish in shallow water areas include white storks, black storks, etc. The crane-shaped birds include red-crowned cranes, white cranes, gray cranes, etc. The fishing methods are similar to those of herons. Birds of different orders and families develop towards the same characteristics due to the same feeding habits. In response to the famous saying about animal form, they grow like what they eat. This is an example of adaptive survival evolution. This is a natural choice. The herons are more representative of wading bird characteristics.
In order to adapt to the feeding habits and living environment of wading birds, different species of birds will have the same evolutionary direction to improve foraging efficiency. This is a universal law of nature. What are the characteristics of birds and animals 3
Birds and animals are divided into seven categories.
The first category, songbirds
There are about 4,000 kinds of songbirds in the world. Most of the perching birds belong to this category. They have Philadelphia's well-developed syringes. They can make very beautiful sounds, but some songbirds have very unpleasant sounds. Generally speaking, the main calls are made by male birds. On the one hand, they sing to attract the attention of female birds, and on the other hand, they warn intruders to hurry up. Leave their territory.
The second category, game birds
Most game birds live on land. They are not very good at flying, but they are mostly good runners and hunters. The bird's legs are strong and powerful, supporting the plump body. The claws are hard and sharp, usually three limbs, and can grab food on the ground. Their beaks are hook-shaped and can dig out tree roots and underground insects. Although hunting birds They are not good at flying, but their well-developed chest muscles and huge sternum can help them fly off the ground quickly when encountering danger, but only for a short period of time. For example, the snake vulture belongs to this category, and most of the pheasants Birds all fall into this category.
The third category, raptors
Raptors are one of the most ferocious carnivores in the world, mainly including eagles, falcons, vultures, vultures, etc. , most raptors have huge wings, strong legs, sharp claws and hook-shaped beaks, which are powerful tools for catching prey.
The fourth category, wading birds
Wading birds refer to those birds that live in rivers, lakes, riverbanks, swamps or wetland areas Most species, such as storks and wading birds, have slender legs and necks. Whether they are standing tall or moving slowly, they always give people a quiet and noble feeling. They have long beaks. , used to catch prey in the water. Since the shapes of the beaks are not exactly the same, the methods of catching food are also different. For example, the beak of the heron is like a filter knife, which can easily kill fish in the water, and the beak of the flamingo is like a filter knife. There are unique filters that can filter out seaweed and small animals from the water, and some beaks are like blades that can cut open the hard shell of oysters and eat the bodies inside.
The fifth category, aquatic birds
Aquatic birds are birds that live entirely in water areas. They are all good swimmers, and their bodies are like Like a boat, the flat belly can increase buoyancy. The thick down on the skin can help them maintain body temperature. The strong legs and webbed feet are excellent paddling tools. Aquatic birds mainly include ducks, geese and swans. wait.
The sixth category, seabirds
As the name suggests, seabirds spend most of their time at sea, only arriving when they are breeding and raising their offspring. On the coast, among all seabirds, penguins are the most suitable for life on the water. After a long period of evolution, its wings have turned into flippers, which are short and flat, like a paddle, so it lost the ability to fly early. More adaptable to life in the water. Usually penguins can only jump and walk, or crawl using their mouths and flippers. If they encounter danger, they can only roll and crawl, which looks very clumsy. But once they get into the water, they can It swims faster than an ordinary watercraft.
The seventh category, flightless birds
Birds have the ability to fly because of their light bones, but some birds are in the process of evolution Gradually lose the ability to fly and can only swim and walk. In addition to the penguins mentioned above, there are also dozens of species of birds such as ostriches and cassowaries. Since they do not need to fly, part of the muscles and bones of these birds gradually become smaller. , the wing bones and thorax are no longer so developed, and the sternum is much smaller, but their legs have become strong and powerful, and most of them can run very fast. Ostrich is the fastest bird in the world, with a speed of It can reach 72 kilometers/hour, which is faster than most mammals.