Read About Bird Anatomy

Bird anatomy is fascinating and complex. Here's everything you need to know about basic bird anatomy.

There are some things all birds have

Bird anatomy can be generalized the same way human anatomy can be. Generally, all humans have two arms, two legs, lungs, a heart and reproductive organs. Choosing such anatomical generalizations can also be done with birds.

Let's step away from the obvious bird anatomy, such as the heart, and move on to the more interesting aspects of bird anatomy. Birds are different than other animals because they have two legs, beaks, layers of feathers and they can fly.

Bird anatomy is designed so birds are lightweight enough to get off the ground and fly. Their leg bones are hollow to give them extra leg strength, but this feature doesn't make them lighter. They do need to be light enough to fly, but they also need extreme amounts of strength to get them off the ground and in the air. Landing isn't easy on the bones either. Imagine descending from the sky and having to land on a metal post. You would need to have extremely strong legs to support the impact when you land. A bird's anatomy allows for this kind of strength and flexibility.

Birds have light little bodies so that they have less weight to carry around when they fly. Bird anatomy in the short, stubby torso region also helps bring the bird's wings and legs closer to their center of gravity so they have an easier time flying.

Flying

Bird anatomy is unique because it's structured in a way that allows birds to fly, which is one obvious characteristic that separates birds from other animals. A bird's strongest muscles are in its wings and the majority of the bones in a bird's wings are like modified hand bones. They're tiny, which allows for a lot of varied movements. The way in which the bones are structured also lessens some of the weight that the bird would otherwise have to carry around. The feathers on a bird's wings provide for insulation and lift, which gets the bird in the air and keeps it warm.

Interesting facts

Bird anatomy of birds that have longer necks, such as swans, include more vertebrae in the bird's neck. This is so they can get their heads down into the bottom of a pond and search for food.

Birds have noses, but they usually don't have a sense of smell, which is unique because many animals strongly rely on their sense of smell. Bird anatomy also provides birds with a higher body temperature.