Characteristic Of Birds

What are the most important characteristics of birds?

Birds belong to the animal queen, which includes many different species, and is an integral part of it. It is noteworthy that birds are similar in some of their characteristics to other types of animals, such as having a backbone, in addition to being considered warm-blooded . It is unique to it , and among the most important of these characteristics are the following:

Feathers cover the bodies of birds

Feathers cover the bodies of birds, and it is made of keratin found in human hair, and feathers help birds to fly, and also act as insulation, and the outer feathers of the bird usually fall off and new feathers grow once a year, usually after the breeding season, and there are some types of Female birds lose their feathers and become unable to fly, in which case the males feed them until their feathers grow back.

Birds have wings

One of the most distinguishing characteristics of birds is that they have wings that help them fly, and even birds that cannot fly have wings that they use to swim or to attract a partner.

Birds have beaks and limbs

Possessing a beak is a distinctive and common feature among all types of birds, as the beaks consist of a bony core surrounded by a thin layer of keratin, and instead of teeth, birds have sharp edges along the edges of their beaks, as they enable them to grind food and cut it into small pieces that are easy to swallow and digest.

The shape of the beak indicates the nature of the diet of different types of birds. For example, carnivorous birds have sharp, hooked beaks that help them tear meat, while strong, conical-shaped beaks help seed eaters to penetrate the crust of the plant and obtain its seeds. As for ducks and geese, they have wide and flat beaks that make it easier for them to eat. Catching food from the water.

Birds are characterized by a lightweight structure

Birds are distinguished from mammals in that they have solid skeletons, as the lightweight structures of birds are one of the most important factors that help birds to fly, and this comes as a result of their hollow bones, and birds have many fused bones such as the wishbone, which supports the wings when flying.

Birds reproduce with eggs

Birds reproduce by laying eggs, and most birds build nests to protect their eggs, and it is mentioned that there is a diversity in the forms of bird eggs; Including what is white only, or very colored, or covered with spots, and the egg consists mainly of calcium in addition to a layer of solid mucus, and with regard to nutrition, the fetus gets its food during the incubation period from the yolk and white of the egg.

Birds are warm-blooded

Birds generate their own internal body heat, and do not depend on their environment only to maintain their temperature. All types of birds are warm-blooded, and some types of birds use sunlight to regulate their body temperature.

Birds have the ability to tweet

Birds use tweeting to attract a companion during the mating season, or to warn another bird of the same sex when a certain danger occurs.

Birds follow migratory behavior

Birds migrate and travel long distances. In search of a better environment in terms of the availability of food and safer places to build nests, and birds tend to migrate to the north in the spring due to the increase in the number of insects, the start of plant growth, and the abundance of suitable places to build nests, and with the end of spring and the onset of winter, the birds return to migrate towards the south.