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Birds in Our Lives Dwelling in an Avian World Birds in Our Lives Dwelling in an Avian World By Dr.Adam Davis & Dr. Mia Malloy Included in this preview: • Table of Contents • Foreword • Chapter 1 For additional information on adopting this book for your class, please contact us at 800.200.3908 x501 or via e-mail at [email protected] Birds in Our Lives Dwelling in an Avian World By Adam Davis and Mia Malloy University of Georgia Bassim Hamadeh, CEO and Publisher Christopher Foster, General Vice President Michael Simpson, Vice President of Acquisitions Jessica Knott, Managing Editor Kevin Fahey, Cognella Marketing Manager Jess Busch, Senior Graphic Designer Zina Craft, Acquisitions Editor Jamie Giganti, Project Editor Brian Fahey, Licensing Associate Kate McKellar, Interior Designer Copyright © 2013 by Cognella, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reprinted, reproduced, transmitted, or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying, microfi lming, and recording, or in any information retrieval system without the written permission of Cognella, Inc. First published in the United States of America in 2013 by Cognella, Inc. Trademark Notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identifi cation and explanation without intent to infringe. Illustrations by Matthew Kirkland Jones Design and technical assistance for fi gures and anatomy photographs provided by Elizabeth Freeman. Image attributions: Hoatzin Chick (J. Arthur Th omson); Northern Bobwhite Quail (BS Th urner Hof ); Rock Dove (Christine Matthews); American Coot Showing (ceridwen); Roseate Spoonbills (Matt Edmonds); Superb Lyrebird (Fir0002/Flagstaff otos); Hyacinth Macaw (Hank Gillette); Yellow-naped Amazon (Matt Edmonds); Major Mitchell Cockatoo (Snowmanradio); Goffi n Cockatoo (Sam Mugraby, Photos8.com); Sharp-shinned Hawk (Abdoozy); Hood and Glove with Bird (Sylvia Duckworth); Pigeon Loft 1 (Nostrifi kator); Pigeon Loft 2 (Alexander P. Knapp); Pigeon Loft 3 (Betty Longbottom); Pigeon Loft 4 (David Wright); Fely Wit Feathers (Fabiovanolst); Ostrich Foot (Tony Willis); Common Eider Male and Female (Andreas Trepte); Canada Goose Being Pest (Matt H. Wade) Any images not mentioned above are covered via Creative Commons license or in the public domain. Printed in the United States of America ISBN: 978-1-60927-689-8 (pbk) CONTENTS FOREWORD V I VIII EVOLUTION & TAXONOMY 1 PARROTS 161 II IX THE CURRENT STATE OF BIRDS 23 RAPTORS 213 III X INTERNATIONAL TRADE 45 PIGEONS 241 IV XI FLIGHT, FEATHERS 53 RATITES 273 V XII SENSES & RESPIRATION 85 GALLIFORMES 283 VI XIII NUTRITION 103 WATERFOWL 307 VII XIV REPRODUCTION 123 OPPORTUNITIES 319 FOREWORD Whether it is their ability to fl y, utilization of sound and visual stimuli similar to us for communication, or their sheer number and presence on every continent, man’s fascination with birds is well recorded throughout history. Th e relationship birds have with humans has resulted in these fl ying creatures becoming a key component of the global economy. Bird-watching and its associated ecotourism, as well as feeding and hunting wild birds, generate billions of dollars worldwide each year. Domesticated birds are popular pets across the globe. Meat and eggs produced by birds are the largest source of animal protein produced and eaten by humans. Other bird products like feathers, oils, leather, and feces are highly valuable in the clothing, pharmaceutical, cosmetics, or fertilizer industries. In addition, the value of bird service to humans through activities such as plant pollination, seed distribution, scavenging, consumption of insect pests—and as indicator species to the health of virtually every ecosystem present in the world—is absolutely invaluable. Th is book will introduce you to the fascinating world of birds by providing you a basic understanding of avian biology through the exploration of topics such as bird evolution, anatomy, reproduction, nutrition, and sensory perception. You will also gain knowledge about the current status of the wild bird population, the threats birds are facing which are impacting their survival and well-being, and how you can help bird preservation. Finally, as commonly kept birds such as parrots, birds of prey, pigeons, ratites, game birds, and ornamental chickens are covered in the book, you will gain an appreciation for the role of birds in our lives as pets, as animals of vital economic importance, and as sources of entertainment through hobbies like falconry and homing pigeon racing. FOREWORD V I EVOLUTION & TAXONOMY What is a bird? Today it can best be defi ned as any animal with feathers. Th is was not true in prehistoric times, as will be discussed later. Th e general public often tends to defi ne birds using terms such as “animals with wings” or “animals that fl y.” Remember that bats fl y, and although very diff erent in structure and composition, they have wings. In addition, there are several animals that lay eggs, such as the duck-billed platypus, echidna, turtles, and crocodiles. Despite a century and a half of previous research, the evolution, as well as the taxonomy of birds, is far from resolved. As new fossils are found and characterized and as new molecular studies provide insight into the phylogeny of both extant and extinct bird species, there is hope—especially given the rapidity of recent fi ndings—that many of the unresolved issues will be clarifi ed in the next one to two decades. EVOLUTION Our knowledge of bird evolution is based on fossils. Found fossils are dated for the most part based on stratigraphy (studying how deeply a fossil is buried in the rock strata) and radioisotope dating. Besides dating fossils, the morphology of any fossil is studied exten- sively to try and determine how it is evolutionarily related to other organisms that exist in the fossil record or is extant (living). Finding even partial fossils of prehistoric birds is a rare event because typically their bones are relatively small in size and are thin and porous, which is great for reducing weight for fl ight, but poor for fossilization. Discovering an intact bird fossil becomes even more unlikely because, as prey animals, their remains can end up scattered and further scavenged by other animals. I EVOLUTION & TAXONOMY 1 2 BIRDS IN OUR LIVES: DWELLING IN AN AVIAN WORLD Th e Solnhofen limestone quarry in Bavaria is known for its fi ne-textured limestone, the source of many exquisite fossils from hundreds of species. Often these fossils are of complete organisms that are very delicate in nature such as dragonfl ies, with even their wings preserved. When the limestone was formed, it occurred in protected salt lagoons that did not have exposure to strong currents or much water exchange. Th us, the bottom of the lagoons was anoxic, and as water evaporated from the lagoons between storms, the salinity increased to toxic levels for life. Th is created the perfect environment for the formation of fossils. Any organism that fell into the water would die or any organism washed into the lagoon by storms would settle to the bottom and not be scavenged by marine life or broken apart by strong currents as it was slowly covered by lime silt. In 1861 arguably the most famous fossil from the Solnhofen quarry was found. Th e fossil was of an organism about the size of a pigeon that had a long tail like a lizard, a toothed jaw, front limbs that were modifi ed to form wings, and most importantly, wing fl ight feathers that appeared similar to those of modern-day birds and suggested rudimentary fl ight ability (Figure 1.1). Archaeopteryx was the name given to the organism, and the limestone from which the fossil was found was dated to about 150 million years ago, or the end of the Jurassic Period (Table 1.1). In subsequent years, several more complete Archaeopteryx fossils were found from this quarry. Because of Archaeopteryx’, appearance it was classifi ed as the most basal bird in the avian lineage, a distinction that has been challenged, but thus far has survived, as will be discussed in detail in the following sections Another area proven as a rich source of fossils is Liaoning Province in northeastern China. Over a hundred million years ago, this was a forested area with lakes that provided an environment for a diverse array of organisms. Th e area also had active volcanoes that would peri- odically erupt, fi lling the local environment with poisonous gas and ash. Th e gas killed all living animals, which were then covered with fi ne ash that, in turn, enabled the formation of detailed fossils. Many early Cretaceous feathered dinosaur fossils have come from this location and have provided further insight into avian evolution. In addition, many early Cretaceous bird fossils have been found here, and some were preserved with gastrointestinal contents present such as seeds, FIGURE 1.1 Archaeopteryx fossil. Note the clear outline of feathers. fi sh, or stones. TABLE 1.1 GEOLOGICAL TIME Era Period Date (millions of years ago) Cenozoic 65.5 to present Quaternary 2.6 to present Tertiary1 65.5 to 2.6 Mesozoic 251.0 to 65.5 Cretaceous 145.5 to 65.5 Jurassic 201.6 to 145.5 Triassic 251.0 to 201.6 1 The Tertiary period has been renamed with the span being divided between the Paleogene (65.5 to 23 million years ago) and Neogene (23 to 2.6 million years ago) periods. I EVOLUTION & TAXONOMY 3 Th omas Huxley was the fi rst to note the similarities between birds and dinosaurs and concluded that birds and theropods could be closely related (Huxley, 1868, 1870). In 1926, however, Heilmann’s book, Th e Origin of Birds, was translated to English (Heilmann, 1926).
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