Flight Adaptation In Birds

Flight adaptation in aves

We generally imagine about having wings and flying to see the world from the high level. Though we naturally we have no such modification in the body but the development of technology have made it possible to fly above the ground level and take a view of natural environment. Besides this, reaching to the desired destination within short time period have becomes easier with the invention of these technological mediums.

Though we lack wings and structure that benefits us in flying, but there are certain groups of animal that have well developed body plan to make the flight possible above the earth. Animals that come under this group have well modified body that makes them easy to soar above the ground. Hence, they

Flight Adaptation in birds: Effective flight is possible only when two requirements are met, light weight of the body and the supply of energy. Hence, the organs that are modified for effective flight are:

1. Birds have short body with compact bones. This reduces the weight of the body and makes it light.

2. There are different kinds of feathers present in birds: outline feather helps to decrease the drag of the body by making it streamlines; primary feathers helps to provide shape to the wings and make the flight possible; tail feather are used as rudder for balance of the body.

3. Bones in birds are either hollow or fused to reduce the weight of the body. The fusion of caudal bone to form pygostyle and hollow bones of skull are good example of it.

4. Absence of teeth and present of beak is also one of the important adaptations for flight in birds.

5. Forelimbs are modified into wings and hence aerodynamics in shape. They are also close to the centre of gravity.

6. Different muscles present in birds helps in the movement of legs, wings, neck and tail. Mainly wings are made of strong muscle so as to provide energy for flying which are called pectoral and breast

The circulation of blood uses four chambered heart with two atria and two ventricular.

10. Blood with high blood pressure and high amount of sugar is present in the avian heart.

11. Eyes are well developed having binocular vision in birds whereas the olfactory organs have reduced function. It is because good sight is necessary for safe flight.

12. Ovaries and testis are present but the size is reduced, in some only one ovary is functional.

13. In most of the female birds liver is pushed towards right side in order to balance the weight of the body. These are some of the modification in different organs of aves for smooth and effective flight. Most importantly, these are just the basic body plan for flight adaptation, but there can be variation in the structure, size and types of some organ according to their adaptation in particular climate or the