Ornithology

Ornithology is a science that concerns the study of birds. The competition includes both identification of birds and questions about bird characteristics (anatomy, diet, range, etc). There are 185 species on the Official Bird List for 2011, which are separated into 19 orders. Any of the species on the Official Bird List may be tested on during the competition. However, some states may use a modified bird list.

Ornithology rotates with forestry, entomology, and herpetology every 2 years for both B and C division. 2011 is its second and last year, so it will switch to forestry in 2012.

Overview of the Event
This event is geared towards the study of birds. For the event, you need to know how to identify birds. In addition, there will be questions relating to any of the birds on the Official Bird List. You may need to know the call of any of the birds marked with a musical note.

The event should be run either with stations, or as a powerpoint. Stations (or powerpoint slides) can include:


 * Live/preserved specimens
 * Skeletal material
 * Recordings of songs
 * Slides or pictures of specimens

Each team may bring one published field guide (two for nationals) which may be tabbed, written in, or drawn in, one double sided sheet of paper with notes in any form, and the two page Official Bird List.

Identification questions can be to any level indicated on the Official Bird List.

Questions about the birds may be about any of the following topics:


 * Life History
 * Distribution
 * Anatomy
 * Physiology
 * Reproduction
 * Habitat characteristics
 * Ecology
 * Behavior
 * Habitat
 * Symbiotic relationships
 * Trophic level
 * Adaptive anatomy
 * Bill size and shape
 * Migration
 * Distribution
 * Occurrence (common, rare, endangered, etc.)
 * Diet
 * Behavior
 * Conservation
 * Biogeography

Peterson Field Guide to Birds of North America

 * It includes all species that are on the national birds list.
 * It provides full color painted pictures of all birds which can be more useful than pictures for assistance in identification due to the more archetypal quality of the presentation.
 * It provides several painted representations of many species, usually of the different color patterns or body types seen in males, females, juveniles, and different plumages throughout the year.
 * Information on each species is relatively sparse to non-existant.
 * Very complete range maps are in the back.
 * This field guide is sold in the Science Olympiad store.

The Sibley Guide to Birds

 * It includes all species that are on the national birds list.
 * It provides full color painted pictures of all birds which can be more useful than pictures for assistance in identification due to the more archetypal quality of the presentation.
 * It provides several painted representations of many species, usually of the different color patterns or body types seen in males, females, juveniles, and different plumages throughout the year.
 * Includes paintings of the birds in flight.
 * Information on each species is relatively sparse.
 * Large margins are suitable for notation.
 * Most editions are less cumbersome than the Sibley.

Smithsonian Field Guide to the Birds of North America

 * It includes most species on the national birds list.
 * Every bird has one or more color photographs on it's own respective page.
 * Information in the book is much more complete than either the Sibley or Peterson.
 * Relatively little blank space is available for notation.
 * Less cumbersome than the Sibley or larger editions of the Peterson.

National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America

 * It includes most if not all species on the national birds list.
 * It provides several painted representations of many species, usually of the different color patterns or body types seen in males, females, juveniles, and different plumages throughout the year.
 * Information in the book is more complete than either the Sibley or Peterson.
 * There is more space in the margins than in the Smithsonian, but less than in the Sibley or Peterson.
 * Less cumbersome than the Sibley or larger editions of the Peterson.
 * It features a "Quick-Find Index".

Kaufman Field Guide to Birds of North America

 * It includes most species on the national birds list.
 * Every bird has one or more color photographs on it's respective page.
 * Information in the book is much more complete than either the Sibley or Peterson.
 * Relatively little blank space is available for notation.
 * It has fewer pages than other mentioned books.
 * The guide is organized by bird family groupings rather than strict taxonomic classification; this is a feature that will appeal especially to beginners.
 * Color-coded tabs identify each grouping of birds (waders, warblers, sparrows, etc.) for quick thumb indexing.
 * Less cumbersome than the Sibley or larger editions of the Peterson.

Some Other Guides

 * The guides above (with the exception of the Kaufman) come in eastern and western editions as well as the more complete editions mentioned above. These may be useful when paired together at the national tournament.
 * The Audubon produces turtleback field guides for eastern and western birds with picture plates and a medium amount of information on each bird.
 * There are several easy to use but light on information and identification "pocket-guides" such as the Golden guide series.
 * National Wildlife Federation Field Guide to Birds of North America
 * Birds of North America, Revised and Updated: A Guide To Field Identification, is the Golden guides more complete field guide.

Tips on choosing a field guide

 * Different people have different needs, and a field guide that one person likes a lot may not work out for a different person.
 * When choosing your field guide, you must find a balance between identification and information.
 * A guide that is good for identification may have many detailed drawings of each bird, such as the Sibley guide.
 * A guide that is good for information may have a paragraph or two relating to habitat, reproduction, etc. but only one or two photographs or drawings of the bird, such as the National Geographic guide.
 * In addition, the layout and size of the field guide must be taken into account. Guides that do not have most of the birds on the National List can be a big hindrance.
 * It is a good idea to obtain two contrasting guides and compare them to see which one is easier to use.
 * Remember, you can tab your field guide (to facilitate navigation) and write in it (to add information). If you plan on writing in your guide, you should get a guide with lots of extra space on the pages.
 * At nationals, you are allowed to use two field guides.

Other books
Here is a list of other books that can aid you in studying. Each book has a link to its Amazon page.

The Sibley Guide to Bird Life & Behavior As the companion guide to The Sibley Guide to Birds, this book is very helpful and easy to study from. The book is split into two sections: the first provides information about general ornithology, while the second includes more specific info about each family of bird. Both sections are very easy to read and understand. Strongly recommended.

Ornithology - Frank B. Gill This is a college level textbook that contains lots of information about many topics in ornithology. It gets to be very in-depth and contains much more information than what you actually need in the competition, but it is a great resource for accurate information.

What is a bird?
Any creature in the class Aves is a bird. More specifically, birds are distinguished from other organisms by feathers which cover their body, bills, and often complex songs and calls. Birds are warm blooded and are bipedal with forearms adapted to be wings, though in some species the wings have become vestigial and can no longer be used for flight. Birds have one of the most efficient respiratory systems among vertebrates, and they lay eggs that are unique for their hard shell.

There are around 10,000 known species of birds, which are found all over the earth, and on every continent. Birds occupy a large range of habitats, making them the most numerous tetrapod vertebrates.

Topography
Topography refers to the external anatomy of a bird. The diagrams below show the basic parts of a bird.



Respiration
A bird's respiratory system is one of the most efficient found in vertebrates. This is mainly because of their ability to fly, which creates a need for more oxygen.

Air sacks are structures unique to birds, which take up 20% of a bird's internal body space. Air sacks store air, keeping a fixed volume in the lungs. There are two types of air sacks: anterior and posterior. Sometimes, air sacks rest inside the semi-hollow bones of birds. In addition, a bird's lungs take up half of the space that mammal's lungs do, yet weight does not decrease.

When a bird takes a breath, air passes through the trachea either into the bird's lungs and then the anterior air sacks or directly into the posterior air sacks. Air in the anterior air sacks go directly through the trachea and back out of the nostrils, while air in the posterior air sacks go through the lungs, and then through the trachea as the bird exhales.

One important adaption birds have made is that new oxygen and old, waste gasses are never mixed during respiration. Also, old air is almost completely replaced by new air when a bird takes a breath.

Circulation
Like many mammals (including humans), birds have a four-chambered heart. However, a bird's heart can be almost twice the size of a mammal's, and much more efficient, for the same reason as the circulatory system. Powerful flyers and divers have the largest heart relative to their body size.

Skeleton
A bird's skeleton is, in many ways, well adapted for flight. The major bones of a bird's skeleton have a hollow interior with crisscrossing "struts" to provide support. Some bones contain air sacks which are used by the respiratory system. Bird skeletons generally follow a specific format, with the exception of extreme specialization.

The image above shows the bones in the average bird's wing, with the left side being the tip of the wing and the right side being where it connects to the bird's body. Notice how similar it is to a human arm. There are two major sections to the arm. The upper arm is made up of the humerus, while the lower arm consists of the radius and the ulna. Birds have 2 wrist bones (carpals). However, instead of having 5 metacarpals (hand bones), they have one bone called the carpometacarpus. This limits the mobility of the manus, but it is better adapted for flight. Birds have 3 digits and 4 finger bones (phalanges, singular phalanx). The middle and largest digit has to phalanges.

Birds' legs are slightly more complicated. What most people think of as the knees of a bird are actually the ankles, as the knees (and the upper legs (femur)) are mostly hidden by feathers. Birds have a fuse and extended foot bone (tarsometatarsus) which most people think of as the lower leg, and which give birds three sections to the leg instead of 2. The bone in the actual lower leg is the tibiotarsus, a fusion of part of the tarsus with the tibia. Birds have (at most) four toes, although some birds have less (e.g. the ostrich, which only has two toes. Refer to the image at the right for leg anatomy, and the image below for toe variations.

Feathers
Birds are the only modern animals that have feathers. Feathers are made of beta-keratin, which also makes up the scales on bird's legs.

Contour feather - Any of the outermost feathers of a bird, forming the visible body contour and plumage. A contour feather consists of a middle shaft and a vane on both sides of the shaft. The calamus, or quill, is the base of the shaft, while the rachis supports the vanes.

The vane of a contour feather is mainly made up of barbs, which consist of rami (s. ramus) sticking out vertically from the rachis. Each ramus contains barbules, which in turn have interlocking barbicels. This gives the vane of a contour feather a tight, smooth surface.

Flight feathers - These feathers are only found on the wings and the tail. They are large, stiff, and aerodynamic, which is helpful in flight. There are three main types of flight feathers: primaries, secondaries, and tertiaries. In addition, feathers called coverts cover the bases of the flight feathers.

Down feather - A feather that has plumulaceous barbs. It is mostly used for insulation. Down feathers do not have a rachis; barbs are attached directly to the quill.

Semiplumes - Feathers with a long rachis and plumulaceous barbs. Like down feathers, semiplumes mainly provide insulation.

Filoplumes - Small feathers with a long rachis, but only a few barbs at the top. Filoplumes are attached to nerve endings at the base, letting them send information to the brain about the placement of contour feathers.

Bristles - Stiff feathers with some barbs found at the base. Bristles are almost always found on the face of birds. Bristles have many possible applications, including protection from insects and dust, and acting as a "net" to aid in catching insects.

Species of Birds
This section contains information about individual orders, families and species. The birds are in the same order as they are on the Official Bird List. Images of each bird, as well as comments on their identification, can be found at the page 2011 Bird List.


 * Anseriformes
 * Galliformes
 * Gaviiformes
 * Podicipediformes
 * Procellariiformes
 * Pelecaniformes
 * Ciconiiformes
 * Falconiformes
 * Gruiformes
 * Charadriiformes
 * Columbiformes
 * Cuculiformes
 * Strigiformes
 * Caprimulgiformes
 * Apodiformes
 * Trogoniformes
 * Coraciiformes
 * Piciformes
 * Passeriformes

Sample Questions and Answers
What is the difference between precocial and altricial young?  Precocial youung are born with open eyes and down. They are capable of leaving the nest within 2 days of hatching. Altricial young are born with closed eyes and no down. They rely on parents for survival. All passerines are altricial.

What is the purpose of lobed feet?  They allow birds to walk across marshes by increasing surface area, but provides more toe maneuverability than webbing. Coots and Grebes have lobed feet.

Describe three abilities that are unique to hummingbirds.  Hummingbirds drink nectar, can hover and fly backwards, and their tiny legs and feet make them incapable of walking.

Links
2010 National Bird List

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter

Bird external anatomy -- good examples of bill characteristics

The Wikipedia article on birds

Audubon links -- scroll down to the ornithology section

Good practice game for identifying -- click "Choose Specific Birds" to pick which ones can appear in the quiz.