Main Article: Avian Medical Terms / Health & Diseases by Jeannine Miesle, MA, Allied Member, Association of Avian Veterinarians …
Avian Anatomy Image Gallery (NOTE: Some of the images / illustrations on this and linked pages may be too graphic for young audiences. We recommend parental supervision and approval.)
- Skeletal System … Feathers & Skin (scroll down) … Cloaca and Bursa of Fabricus … Muscles and Tendons, Feather Piloerection
- Bird Head & Beak … Bird Eye / Ear Anatomy / Sensory Perception … Bird Brain & Nervous System
- Respiratory System … Bird Reproductive Organs … Bird Digestive System … Circulatory System – Blood & Heart … Glands … Liver & Kidneys / Surgical Instruments
- Cells, Genetics & DNA … Wound Healing
FEATHERS AND SKIN
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=feather+tracts+in+birds&view=detailv2&&&id=938C721BF3E8CF3AD68F3F78F47 AFA657C5D3EC8&selectedIndex=0&ccid=1%2fSY7eP%2b&simid=608039426881686875&thid=JN.NwoXUpGclwD6iVP 1LMt77g&ajaxhist=0
Primary and secondary feathering, feather numbering of wing
Bird feathers http://www.earthlife.net/birds/images/anatomy/wing.gif
Numbering of Wing and Tail feathers https://nusavifauna.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/bird_anatomy_1.jpeg
Leading edge of wing http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=leading+edge+of+bird+wing&view=detailv2&&&id=A04C6A6D17F24925EF2456B 211673B6D55097953&selectedIndex=149&ccid=DvCZsmAL&simid=608021164690639938&thid=JN.fwDqwXUM5Yjwv% 2f1tqk5kpg&ajaxhist=0
Inner wing feathers http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=inner+wing+of+bird&view=detailv2&&&id=0FD8F69BAAB720282CD2A720FABA5 67 9CBF4A077C0&selectedIndex=13&ccid=FmkYx6xG&simid=608005019906083412&thid=JN.jBWBLxcPRox7QiumBHI0V g&ajaxhist=0
Wing feathers http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=bird+wing+feathers&view=detailv2&&&id=56E04B780B39624579A0450C417056 A2ECD277D6&selectedIndex=1&ccid=bFNrLqrW&simid=608027461098997025&thid=JN.ElzuSQDr7G%2faSRg6vDksH A&ajaxhist=0
Brood patch http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=brood+patch&view=detailv2&&&id=9216B471633D5A8D9BA7D618C4 24B4E1A4BFFB07&selectedIndex=13&ccid=un7L9bao&simid=608015834619776290&thid=JN.6rL5KMAnJgI3 CDrFvr%2b6QQ&ajaxhist=0
Blood Feathers and feather sheaths. Blood feather and feather sheath http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=blood+feather&view=detailv2&&qpvt=blood+feather&id=A6D4730BD3C2500F8C9 C989B50D6E7D27C37FF5F&selectedIndex=5&ccid=C48qBHE/&simid=608044821348289044&thid=JN.u1jHpa
Recursive Crest http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=bird+crest&view=detailv2&&&id=F727ED95B26BB7654CF57DF76D1E 68 DCC98091F1BD&selectedIndex=163&ccid=Vl1q/Gf+&simid=608031330837335601&thid=HN.6080313308373 3
Recumbent Crest http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=bird+glottis&view=detailv2&&&id=19F36453DEA8572015FDD0ED95C 7EAEC41AE09CD&selectedIndex=0&ccid=ogpWS2Ug&simid=608004298336109970&thid=JN.DAtJUsry08c% 2fjgBQEtA7%2fw&ajaxhist=0
Feather anatomy from Drs. Foster and Smith
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=15+1829&aid=2776
Parts of the feather:
- Calamus: Central shaft at the base which extends under the skin into the feather follicle.
- Rachis (scapus or quill) feather shaft above the calamus that holds the barbs.
- Vane: part of the feather that holds the barbs
- Barbs: filaments on either side of rachis, extend at approximately 45 degree angle from rachis
- Barbules and barbettes (hooklets): microscopic filaments that attach to each other, forming a tight, smooth surface. Bird keeps them attached during preening.
- After-feathers (hypopenae): small tuft of feather at the base of the rachis.
- Downy Barbs: barbs that are not hooked together at base of rachis.
- Pennaceous feathers: those with barbules and hooklets, as in quill pen.
- Plumaceous: down feathers, without rachis and quill
- Distal Umbilicus: the base of the vane
- Proximal or inferior umbilicus: the end of the calamus that is attached to the follicle
- Pterylae: feather tracts
- Apteria: featherless areas between the pterylae
Types of feathers: each type has a different function
Contour feathers:
- Cover most of the surface of the bird, providing a smooth appearance. 69 ï‚· Protect the bird from sun, wind, rain, and injury.
- Brightly colored and have different color patterns.
- Divided into flight feathers and those that cover the body.
Flight feathers: Wing and tail feathers
Remiges: flight feathers of the wing, separated into three groups:
- Primaries: long feathers attached to the manus (metacarpal [wrist] and phalangeal [finger] bones) at the far end of the wing Responsible for forward thrust. There are usually 10 primaries, numbered from the inside out.
- Secondaries: attached to the ulna, a bone in the middle of the wing, Supply “lift” and are used in courtship displays. There are usually 10-14 secondaries, numbered from the outside in.
- Tertiaries: flight feathers closest to the body; attached to the humorus (long bone)
Retrices: tail feathers; act as brakes and a rudder, Control the orientation of the flight. Most birds have 12 tail feathers, numbered from the center out
Coverts: Smaller feathers that cover the bases of the flight feathers There are several layers of contour coverts on the wing and ear.
Down feathers
- Small, soft, fluffy, and are found under the contour feathers.
- Plumaceous, and have many non-interlocking barbs,
- Lacking the barbules and hooklets seen in contour and flight feathers.
- This makes it possible for them to trap air in an insulating layer next to the skin, protecting the bird from heat and cold. Powder down feathers: give off powder
- When the sheaths or barbs of these feathers disintegrate, they form a fine keratin powder, which the bird can spread over its feathers as a water-proofing agent.
- The powder assists in cleaning as the bird preens.
- The absence of powder down in birds such as cockatoos and African greys can be a sign of disease, including Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease.
Filoplumes
- Fine, hair-like feathers with a long shaft, and only a few barbs at their tips.
- Located along all the pyterlae.
- Although their function is not well understood, they are thought to have a sensory function, possibly adjusting the position of the flight feathers in response to air pressure.
Semiplumes:
- Provide form, aerodynamics, and insulation.
- Play a role in courtship displays.
- Have a large rachis, but loose (plumaceous) vanes.
- They may occur along with contour feathers or in separate pterylae.
Bristle feathers:
- Have a stiff rachis with only a few barbs at the base.
- Usually found on the head (around the eyelids, nares, and mouth).
- Have both a sensory and protective function.
Feather growth
Follicles: specialized areas in the skin where feathers develop.
Blood feather:
- A developing feather that has an artery and vein that extend up through the shaft and nourish the feather.
- Has a larger quill (calamus) than a mature feather ï‚· Is covered with a waxy keratin sheath that protects it while it grows
- The sheath is removed by the bird when the feather is mature, after the blood supply recedes
Shaft color:
- Will be purple while blood is still nourishing the feather.
- Will change to white when blood recedes back into the body after the feather has grown out.
Molt:
- A bird will molt out or lose all of its feathers about once a year.
- It takes months to lose and replace feathers, allowing the bird to continue to fly
- The adult bird will gradually replace all of its feathers during a molt This is so the bird can continue to fly and maintain body temperature
- A molt usually takes place after breeding season.
- reeding season is triggered by the longer photoperiod in the spring, so molting occurs during the summer; wild birds develop brighter plumage
Erector and depressor muscles in skin http://pubs.sciepub.com/materials/1/2/2/figs
Feather duster disease http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=feather+duster+disease&view=detailv2&&&id=3DFA1B549B49DFCC6FE3C08012 5DB9BA26BDA726&selectedIndex=0&ccid=CvNnRnV%2b&simid=608033869188628558&thid=JN.Xbn6YFGaXLHaxsTG F9CRNg&ajaxhist=0
Feather Cyst http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=bird+glottis&view=detailv2&&&id=19F36453DE A8572015FDD0ED95C7EAEC41AE09CD&selectedIndex=0&ccid=ogpWS2Ug&simid=608004298336109970& thid=JN.DAtJUsry08c%2fjgBQEtA7%2fw&ajaxhist=0
SKIN
Cross section of a bird’s skin http://people.eku.edu/ritchisong/avian_integument.htm
Dermatitis (Miesle)