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Avian skeleton (Bird biology)
by Wikipedia
The bird skeleton is highly adapted to these animals' capacity for flight. It is extremely lightweight, but strong enough to withstand the stresses that a bird experiences when taking off, flying and landing. One of the adaptions that make this possible is the fusing of bones that are separate in mammals into single ossifications, such as the pygostyle. Because of this, birds usually have a smaller number of bones than mammals or reptiles.
Birds have many bones that are hollow, with criss-crossing struts or trusses (cross walls) for structural strength. (Some flightless birds like penguins have only solid bones, however). The number of hollow bones varies from species to species, though large gliding and soaring birds tend to have the most. Birds also have more cervical (neck) vertebrae than many other animals; most have a highly flexible neck that consists of 13-25 vertebrae. Birds are the only vertebrate animals to have a fused collarbone (the furcula or wishbone) or a keeled breastbone.
Skull
The skull consists of five major bones:
- Frontal (top of head).
- Parietal (back of head).
- Premaxillary and Nasal (top beak).
- Mandible (bottom beak).
Neck, Back, and Tail
Consisting of vertebrae, the vertebral column is divided into three sections:
- Cervical (13-16) (neck).
- Synsacrum (fused vertebrae of the back, also fused to the hips (pelvis)).
- Pygostyle (tail).
Chest
The chest consists of the furcula (wishbone), coracoid (collar bone), and ribs, which meet at the sternum (center of the chest).
Wings
The shoulder consists of the scapula (shoulder blade), coracoid (see The Chest), and humerus (upper arm). The humerus joins the radius and ulna (forearm) to form the elbow. The carpometacarpus forms the equivalent of the hand on the wing with digits (fingers) extending into the wing.
Hips
The hips consist of the pelvis which includes three major bones:
- Illium (top of the hip).
- Ischium (sides of hip).
- Pubis (front of the hip).
Legs
The upper leg consists of the femur. At the knee joint, the femur connects to the tibiotarsus (shin) and fibula (side of lower leg). The tarsometatarsus forms the upper part of the foot, digits make up the toes. The leg bones of birds are the heaviest contributing to a low center of gravity. This aides in flight.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avian_skeleton
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