Ornithology Terms- EBIO 420/720
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List of Terms
- Aves
- Archaeopteryx
- Protoavis
- Enantiornithes (Sinornis)
- Hesperornithiformes
- Carinatae
- Ichthyornithiformes
- Neornithes
- Archaeopteryx: - Reptilian Features
- Reptilian head, with blunt snout, teeth
- Lacks keeled sternum
- Lacks uncinate processes on ribs
- Finger bones separate like other reptiles
- Long reptilian tail
- No fusion of pelvic skeleton(synsacrum)
- Archaeopteryx: - Avian Features
- Feathered limbs
- Bones lightweight
- Rudimentary furcula (wishbone)
Skeletal Adaptations for Flight
-- Forearms modified as wings
-- Streamlined shape of body
-- Hollow, lightweight bones, strong and elastic
-- Internal struts in some wing bones
-- Highly fused skeleton (synsacrum, head, hands)
-- Powerful and highly modified joints in the forelimbs
(carpometacarpus,
allula)
-- Keeled sternum or breastbone (carina)
-- Furcula (clavicle or wishbone)
-- No teeth or heavy jaw (lightweight bill and muscular gizzard)
-- Pelvic and pectoral girdles are relatively large / strong
-- Uncinate processes on ribs
Physiological Adaptations For Flight:
-- Feathers
-- Efficient metabolism
-- Efficient respiratory system (air sacs etc...)
-- Uric acid excretory system
-- Warm blood, four-chambered heart, strong circulatory system
-- Powerful flight muscles, the pectoralis (down) and
supracoracoideus
(up)
-- Shell forms late in egg development
-- Sex organs atrophy outside breeding season
- T. H. Huxley
- taphonomy
- environmental bias
- preservation bias
- collection bias
- Archosauria
- thecodont
- Ornithischia
- Saurischia
- theropod
- 4 theories of avian origins
- arboreal vs. cursorial origin of flight
- escape theory of flight (Elzanowski)
- Archaeopteryx
- Protoavis
- Ichthyornis
- Hesperornis
- Sinornis
- proavis
- oscine
- suboscine
- ratite
- Tyranni
- Passeres
- Ornithurae
- Carinitae
- Enantiornithes
- feather
- keratin
- primaries
- secondaries
- coverts
- follicle
- sensory corpuscle
- rachis
- vane
- calamus (quill)
- inferior umbilicus
- barbs
- ramus
- barbules
- barbicels
- vaned feathers
- contour feathers
- flight feathers
- down feather
- semiplume
- bristle
- semibristle
- powderdown
- preening
- preen gland (uropygial gland)
- remiges (remex)
- rectrices (rectrix)
- pygostyle
- aftershaft
- pterylae
- apteria
- pterylosis
- post-natal molt
- post-juvenal molt (first pre-basic)
- first winter plumage (first basic)
- pre-nuptial molt (first pre-alternate)
- breeding plumage (alternate)
- post-nuptial molt (second pre-basic)
- second winter plumage (second basic)
- structural colors
- pigment colors
- synsacrum
- alula
- carpometacarpus
- hallux
- carina
- furcula
- uncinate process
- pectoralis muscle
- supracoracoideus muscle
- lift
- weight
- thrust
- drag
- profile drag
- induced drag
- turbulence
- gliding
- soaring
- airfoil
- Bernoulli’s Principle
- angle of attack
- stall
- wing slots
- wing loading
- aspect ratio
- endotherm
- ectotherm
- torpor
- BMR Basal Metabolic Rate
- evaporative cooling
- gular pouch
- gular fluttering
- feather elevation
- trachea
- primary bronchi
- secondary bronchi
- tertiary bronchi
- nares
- air sacs
- metabolic water
- salt glands
- uric acid
- red vs. white muscle fibers
- food cache
- forebrain
- midbrain
- hindbrain
- optic lobes
- cerebellum
- cerebral cortex
- hippocampus
- pallium
- nictitating membrane
- nictitans
- cone cells
- rod cells
- colored oil droplets
- facial disk
- echolocation
- lateralization (brain)
- instinct
- sign stimulus
- releaser
- fixed action pattern
- circadian rythm
- circannual rythm
- photoperiod
- hypothalamus
- refractory period
- migration
- life history strategy
- banding
- moonwatching
- leapfrog migration
- Zugunruhe
- cross-fostering
- fallout
- coastal hiatus
- homing ability
- infrasound
- orientation
- songs
- calls
- harmonics
- whistled song
- alarm calls
- distress calls
- contact calls
- begging calls
- sonogram
- non-vocal sounds
- syrinx
- tympaniform membrane
- interclavicular air sac
- extrinsic muscles
- intrinsic muscles
- dialects
- repertoire
- countersinging
- duets
- critical learning period
- silent period
- subsong
- song crystallization
- template
- territory
- territoriality
- scramble competition
- contest competition
- imprinting
- territorial display
- courtship display
- distraction display
- ritualization
- agonistic behavior
- sexual selection
- female choice
- coverable badge
- mounts
- dominance heirarchy
- pecking order
- breeding territory
- feeding territory
- nesting territory
- roosting territory
- courtship display territory
- leks
- floaters
- group territory
- mixed-species foraging flock
- elastic disk
- site fidelity
- philopatry
- ichnology
- precocial
- altricial
- flocking
- coloniality
- mixed-species foraging flock
- vigilance
- selfish herd
- information center hypothesis
- communal roost
- predator swamping
- social facilitation
- synchronized breeding
- mating system
- monogamy
- polygyny
- polyandry
- promiscuity
- parental investment
- serial monogamy
- reproductive success
- mate guarding
- provisioning
- infidelity
- extra-pair copulations
- egg dumping
- mate quality
- territory quality
- polygyny threshold
- bowers
- courtship feeding
- courtship nest
- tidbitting
- runaway selection
- handicap model
- good genes model
- aesthetic preference model
- indicator or marker model
- truth in advertising model
- resource defense polygyny
- harem defense polygyny
- male dominance polygyny
- transfer effect
- amniotic egg
- vitelline membrane
- albumen
- eggshell
- Oology
- oviduct
- spermatogenesis
- sex chromosome
- cloaca
- cloacal kiss
- pyriform
- nest
- cavity vs. open nesters
- asynchronous hatching
- incubation
- brooding
- hatchling
- nestling
- fledgling
- determinate layers
- indeterminate layers
- clutch size
- megapodes
- communal nesting
- mobbing
- distraction display
- attentiveness
- brood patch
- egg tooth
- hatching muscle
- altricial
- precocial
- semialtricial
- semiprecocial
- superprecocial
- provisioning rate
- fecal sacs
- nidicole
- nidifuge
- parental investment
- parent-offspring conflict
- nest helpers
- cooperative/communal breeding
- kin selection
- brood parasitism
- egg dumping
- egg mimicry
- mimetic egg
- brood reduction
- siblicide
- cainism
- brood reduction hypothesis
- predation hypothesis
- insurance egg hypothesis
- peak-load reduction hypothesis
- prey-size hypothesis
- competitive disparities
- feeding heirarchy
- intrinsic limiting factors
- extrinsic limiting factors
- biotic/abiotic limiting factors
- density dependent limiting factors
- density-independent limiting factors
- geometric model
- exponential model
- logistic model
- r, instantaneous growth rate
- R, replacement rate
- K, carrying capacity
- life table
- lx, mx, sx, bx
- survivorship
- age-specific mortality rate
- survival rate
- fecundity
- type I, II, III survivorship
- life history traits
- life history strategy
- recruitment
- Lack’s food limitation hypothesis
- predation hypothesis
- Ashmole’s hypothesis (seasonality hypothesis)
- plume trade
- extinction
- land conversion
- fragmentation (of habitat)
- island biogeography
- edge effect
- interior edge
- non-game species
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This page was last updated on 1/24/07