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* *BIRDS
Marine birds
living at the seashore or far out to sea have become secondarily adapted to the
ocean. They possess webbed feet and salt glands that empty into their nose,
excrete nitrogenous wastes as insoluble uric acid to conserve water, feed on
fish, squid garbage carrion etc. and must return to shore to nest.
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*They are plentiful
where food is abundant (upwellings, salt marshes etc.) Competition is reduced
between species because of specific adaptations enabling them to
· 1.feed
on different foods
· 2.
nest in different places and
3.remain active at different times of
the day.
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*1.
Stilt-legged birds Long legs help bird search shallows for food. Herons
and egrets wade salt marsh waters, where sand pipers are found along the
beaches. The length of the neck, beak, and legs determines where and what types
of food are available.
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*2. Terns and
skimmers (Sterna hirundo and Rynchops nigra) Long-pointed wings
and a forked tail enabling them to hover over the water using keen eyes with
polarizing filters to see small fish swimming in the water.
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*3. Gulls ( Larus
sp.)There are 43 species of gulls and their survival depends on their lack of
specialization...they feed on anything along the shore, serving as useful
scavengers.
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*4.
Cormorants (Phalacrocorax) Usually seen swimming low over the water searching
for schools of fish...when located, they settle into the water and make
repeated surface dives, using their webbed feet to swim underwater. Its long
neck and pointed beak help it probe among blades of sea grass and rock
crevasses as it chases small fish.
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*5. Brown
Pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis) A big bird with a large pouch below
its bill which it uses to catch fish. They live in large colonies and when fish
are located, they plunge into the water with their bills open, bob to the
surface with the pouch filled with a gallon of sea water and fish. By pushing
their heads against their necks, the bird expels the seawater through grooves
on their bills
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*6. Frigate
Birds (Fregatta) Found throughout the tropics and capable of flying far
out to sea, and beautiful soaring flight that can out maneuver almost any bird
but it cannot settle on the water. they never swim, float or enter the water
and must return to shore at the end of the day to rest.
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*They dive
toward the water plucking flying fish out of the air, and grabbing small fish
and squid from the surface while only wetting the tips of their beaks. They
also harass other birds into vomiting their catch and feed on this.
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*7. Pelagic
Birds Many seabirds spend almost their entire life beyond sight of the shore
and these are pelagic birds. (return only to breed). Included are Puffins and
albatrosses, sooty shearwaters (migrate 20,000 miles) and storm petrels and
gannets.
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*8. Penguins
·
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*8. Penguins
Adaptations
· 1.
Buoyancy Birds contain fatty deposits and thin light bones, possess oil glands
near their tails (water proofs feathers) (preen) and presence of many air sacs
in the thorax, abdomen and long bones of their legs and wings
·
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•2. Heat Loss Body temp. between 106°F-103°F using air trapped
under the feathers to insulate their bodies. Penguins also have blubber under
their skin keeping them warm in -80°F .
•3. Diving By exhaling air
from their air sacs and lungs, squeezing air from under their feathers, they
can reduce their ability to float to dive under the surface. Their heart rate
slows when they dive.
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*4. Migration
seasonal migration between feeding and nesting grounds occurs with breeding
usually occurring near the poles and feeding in the mid-latitudes. Young birds
inherit detailed genetic instructions that allow them to migrate thousands of
miles across the water. The longest, the arctic tern (Sterna paradisaea) nests
in the arctic in the summer and flies south for the winter to within sight of
the Antarctic ice (20,000 miles).
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*5. Senses
Sight...excellent binocular vision to perceive fish swimming in deep water. A
nictitating membrane, third eyelid protects eyes when diving. Hearing and smell
don't appear to be vital in marine birds, although birds hear higher frequency
than humans. Taste is the least underdeveloped sense, and birds have no teeth
and few taste buds, swallowing food quickly without chewing or tasting it.
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*Ecological importance
Vital
components of marine food web, feeding on and adding to the water droppings to
fertilize surface water to stimulate growth of marine plants. Birds are
attracted to certain areas and leave guano. Industry.
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•Which bird has a large
pouch on its beak and forces water out after catching a fish?
• Which bird steals
food from other birds?
•Which sea birds are used
by Asian fishermen to catch fish?
•Which sea bird harasses
other sea birds into regurgitating their food in order to eat it?
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*What is the
longest migration for birds?
Do birds have
fat reserves?
Penguins
Scientific Classification
A. Class-Aves
This class includes all birds. All birds
have an outer covering of feathers, are endothermic (warm-blooded), have front
limbs modified as wings, and lay eggs.
B. Order-Sphenisciformes
This order includes all living and
extinct penguins.
Penguins
C. Family-Spheniscidae
Spheniscidae includes all penguins,
living and extinct, and is the only family classification in the order
Sphenisciformes .
D. Genus, species
1 . Most scientists recognize 17 species
of penguins :
Penguins
*Emperor Aptenodytes
forsteri
King Aptenodytes patagonicus
Adélie Pygoscelis adeliae
Gentoo Pygoscelis papua
Chinstrap Pygoscelis antarctica
Rockhopper Eudyptes chrysocome
Macaroni Eudyptes chrysolophus
Royal Eudyptes schlegeli
Fiordland crested Eudyptes
pachyrhynchus
Penguins
*Erect-crested Eudyptes
sclateri
Snares Island Eudyptes robustus
Yellow-eyed Megadyptes antipodes
Fairy (also known as little blue) Eudyptula minor
Magellanic Spheniscus magellanicus
Humboldt Spheniscus humboldti
African (formerly known as
black-footed) Spheniscus demersus
Penguins
*Galapagos Spheniscus
mendiculus
Some
scientists recognize an 18th species: the white-flippered variety of fairy
penguin, Eudyptula albosignata.
Fossil record
1 . Scientists recognize 32
species of extinct penguins
Penguins
*2. Penguins
probably evolved from flying birds more than 40 million years As the ancestors
of penguins became adapted to an oceanic environment, structural changes for
diving and swimming required the loss of flying adaptations.
All penguin
fossil fragments has been limited to the Southern Hemisphere.
Penguins
*Scientists
believe that ancient penguins began disappearing about the same time that the
number of prehistoric seals and small whales started increasing in the oceans.
The closest
living relatives to penguins are in the order Procellariiformes (the
albatrosses, shearwaters, and petrels) and the order Gaviiformes (loons and
grebes). DNA studies also suggest a relationship with the frigatebirds.
Penguins
Habitat
1. Penguins generally live on islands and
remote continental regions that are free of land predators, where their
inability to fly is not detrimental to their survival.
2. These
highly specialized marine birds are adapted to living at sea. Some species
spend as much as 75% of their lives at sea.
Penguins
*They usually
are found near nutrient-rich, cold-water currents that provide an abundant
supply of food
Penguin
species are found on every continent in the Southern Hemisphere. They are
abundant on many temperate and subantarctic islands.
Population
Chinstrap
penguins may be the most numerous, at 6.5 million
breeding pairs
Penguins
*Physical
Characteristics
A. Size
•
The
emperor penguin is the largest of all living penguins, standing 1.1 m (3.7 ft.)
and weighing 27 to 41 kg (60-90 lb.).
•
The smallest of the penguins is the fairy
penguin, standing just 41 cm (16 in.) and weighing about 1 kg (2.2 lb.).
Penguins
*emperor
Aptenodytes forsteri
size: 11 2 cm (44 in.), 27 to
41 kg (60-90 lb.)
distribution: circumpolar on Antarctic continent within limits of
pack-ice (Marchant, 1990); one of two species restricted to the Antarctic (the
other is the Adelie);
Penguins
*generally
avoid open water beyond limits of floating ice (Marchant, 1990).
population: 135,000 to 175,000 pairs
current status: not globally threatened, stable with some local
fluctuations
Penguins
*fairy
Eudyptula minor
size: 41
cm (16 in.), about 1 kg (2.2 lb.)
The fairy penguin, also known as the little blue, has slate-blue to black
feathers and a white chin and chest.
Penguins
*distribution:
southern Australia and New Zealand
population: less than 1 million total birds
current status: not globally threatened
Penguins
B. Body shape
1 .The penguin body is fusiform and
streamlined, adapted for swimming. A penguin has a large head, short neck, and
elongated body.
2. The tail is short and wedge-shaped.
3. The legs
and webbed feet are set far back on the body, which causes penguins to stand
upright when on land.
Penguins
*. Coloration
•
All adult penguins are countershaded;
that is they are dark on their dorsal (back) surfaces and white on their
ventral (underside) surfaces.
•
Many
species have distinct markings and coloration.
Penguins
a. The emperor has a black head, chin,
and throat with broad yellow ear patches on the sides of the head.
b. The king
penguin has a black head, chin, and throat with vivid orange, tear-shaped ear
patches. The orange coloration extends to the upper chest.
Penguins
*king
Aptenodytes patagonicus
size: 94
cm (37 in.), 13.5 to 16 kg (30-35 lb.)
distribution: subantarctic islands and peninsulas (Marchant, 1990);
Penguins
*usually
forage in ice-free waters (Marchant, 1990); mainly over shelf and slope areas
(Stahl, et al., 1990). Most juveniles oceanic; observed several hundred
kilometers from nearest colony (Ainley, et al., 1984).
population: more than 1 million pairs
Current status: not globally threatened; stable or increasing
Penguins
c. The Adélie has a black
head. Distinctive white eye rings appear during the breeding season .
d. The gentoo
has a black head with white eyelids, and a distinct triangular white patch
above each eye, usually extending over the head
Penguins
*Adélie
Pygoscelis adeliae
size: 46 to 61 cm (1 8-24
in.), 3.6 to 4.5 kg (8-1 0 lb.)
distribution: circumpolar on Antarctic continent within limits of
pack-ice (Marchant, 1990);
Penguins
*is
restricted to the Antarctic (along with emperor penguins).
population: 4,169,390 breeding pairs (del Hoyo, et al., 1992)
current status: not globally threatened; stable or increasing
Penguins
*gentoo
Pygoscelis papua
size:
61 to 76 cm (24-30 in.), 5.5 to 6.4 kg (12-14 lb.)
distribution: circumpolar in subantarctic and antarctic waters;
Penguins
*avoid pack
ice and continental coasts, except near the Antarctic peninsula; usually remain
near breeding islands throughout year (Marchant, 1990)
population: 260,000 to 300,000 pairs
current status: not globally threatened; generally stable
Penguins
*e. The top
of a chinstrap's head is black and the face is white, with a stripe of black
extending under the chin.
Penguins
*chinstrap
Pygoscelis antarctica
size: 46
to 61 cm (1 8-24 in.), 4 kg (9 lb.)
Penguins
*distribution:
antarctic and subantarctic islands population: 6.5 million pairs
current status: not globally threatened
Penguins
*f. The
crested penguins (genus Eudyptes), such as the rockhopper and macaroni, are
distinguished by orange or yellow feather crests on the sides of the head,
above the eyes.
Penguins
*rockhopper
Eudyptes chrysocome
size: 41 to 46 cm (i 6-18 in.), about 2.3 to 2.7 kg (5-6 lb.)
Penguins
*distribution:
subantarctic islands population: 3.5 million pairs
current status: not globally threatened; possibly stable
Penguins
*macaroni
Eudyptes chrysolophus
size: 51 to 61 cm (20-24 in.), 4.5 kg (1 0 lb.)
Penguins
*distribution:
subantarctic islands in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans
population: 11,654,000 pairs
current status: not globally threatened, generally increasing
Penguins
*royal
Eudyptes schlegeli
size:
66 to 76 cm (26-30 in.), 5.5 kg (1 2 lb.)
Penguins
*
distribution: Macquarie and Campbell Islands; also around the New
Zealand coast
population: 850,000 pairs
current status: not globally threatened; stable
Penguins
*Fiordland
crested
Eudyptes pachyrhynchus
size: 61 cm (24 in.), 2.7 to 3 kg (6-7 lb.)
Penguins
*distribution:
subantarctic islands and New Zealand
population: 5,000 to 1 0,000 pairs
current status: not globally threatened; considered near-threatened,
though stable
Penguins
*erect-crested
Eudyptes sclateri
size: 63.5
cm (25 in.), 2.7 to 3.5 kg (6-7.7 lb.)
Penguins
*
distribution: Australia; New Zealand; and Bounty, Campbell, and Auckland
Islands
population: more than 200,000 pairs
current status: not globally threatened; generally stable
Penguins
*Snares
Island
Eudyptes robustus
size: 63.5 cm (25 in.), 2.7 to 3 kg (6-7 lb.)
Penguins
*distribution:
restricted to Snares Island, south of New Zealand
population: 33,000 pairs
current status: not globally threatened; presently stable
Penguins
*The
yellow-eyed penguin, as its name suggests, has yellow eyes and a stripe of pale
yellow feathers extending over its dark head.
Penguins
*yellow-eyed
Megadyptes antipodes
size: 76
cm (30 in.), 6 kg (1 3 lb.)
Penguins
*distribution:
southeast New Zealand
population: 1,540 to 1,855 pairs
current status: vulnerable (IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals);
population has decreased 40% in last 40 years
Penguins
*Temperate
penguins (genus Spheniscus), such as the Humboldt and Magellanic, have
unfeathered fleshy areas on the face and one or two distinct black stripes
across the chest.
Penguins
*Magellanic
Spheniscus magellanicus
size: 61
to 71 cm (24-28 in.), 5 kg (11 lb.)
Penguins
*distribution:
Falkland Islands and along the coast of Chile and Argentina
population: 4.5 to 10 million birds
current status: not globally threatened
Penguins
*Humboldt
Spheniscus humboldti
size: 56 to 66 cm (22-26 in.), 4 kg (9 lb.)
Penguins
*distribution:
islands off the west coast of South America and along the coast of Peru and
Chile population: 20,000 total birds
current status: insufficiently known (IUCN Red List of Threatened
Animals), CITES I
Penguins
*African
Spheniscus demersus
size: 61 to 71 cm (24-28 in.), 3 kg (7 lb.)
Penguins
* distribution:
South African waters population: 50,000 to 171,000 pairs
current status: insufficiently known (IUCN Red List of Threatened
Animals), CITES II; general decline continues
Penguins
*Galapagos
Spheniscus mendiculus
size: 53 cm (21 in.), 2.5 kg (5-6 lb.)
Penguins
*distribution:
Galapagos Islands, off the coast of Ecuador, almost astride the equator; is
the most northerly penguin species
population: 6,000 to 15,000 total birds
current status: endangered (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Endangered
Species List)
Penguins
* Flippers
Wings are
modified into paddlelike flippers. The bones are much flattened and, broadened,
with the joint of elbow and wrist almost fused. This forms a rigid, tapered,
and flat flipper for swimming. Each
flipper is covered with short, scale-like feathers. The long wing feathers
typical of most birds would be too flexible for swimming through water.
Penguins
*Head
1 . Different species of penguins can be
identified by their head and facial markings.
2. Penguins
have a variety of bill shapes which are used to capture fish, squid, and
crustaceans. Generally, the bill tends to be long and thin in species that are
primarily fish eaters, but shorter and stouter in those that mainly feed on
krill.
Penguins
*Shiny,
waterproof feathers overlap to cover a penguin's skin.
Penguins
*Feathers
1. Shiny
feathers uniformly overlap to cover a penguin's skin (del Hoyo, et al., 1992).
Feathers are highly specialized-short, broad, and closely spaced, helping to
keep water away from the skin. Tufts of down on the feather shafts contribute
to the insulative properties of the feathers
Penguins
*2. Penguins have more
feathers than most other birds, with about 70 feathers per square inch.
3. Most
penguin species go through one complete molt (shed their feathers) each year,
usually after the breeding season. The exception is the Galapagos penguin, which
usually goes through two molts annually.
Penguins
*During the molt,
feathers lose some of their insulating and waterproofing capabilities, and
penguins stay out of the water until their plumage is restored to optimum
condition
Depending on
the species, the average length of the molt varies from 13 days for the
Galapagos penguin to 34 for the emperor penguin
Penguins
* Generally,
penguins are not sexually dimorphic; males and females look alike. Crested
penguins are exceptions: the males are more robust and have larger bills
Penguins
*
Penguins
*