Generally, we think that whatever we see and know about the birds that are true and real. But there are certain physiological adaptations in the various species that have defined many avian species. And these traits have are weird and hard to believe.
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Weird Facts About Avian
So, here we present you a list of 10 Incredibly Weird Facts about Avian.
10.Adaptation for the Drinking Behavior by Doves
The avian mouth is hardened and poorly adapted for sipping water against gravity. So, birds generally scoop water with their bill and tip their head to swallow but this result in very little amount of amount at a time. Whereas, doves have an added advantage with their pencil-shaped bills for the drinking purposes. Doves and pigeons draw up their water at lightning speed in a manner of straw. This feature also helps in cutting their chance of being caught by a predator.
9. Partially Inflatable Bones
Birds’ bones are not only hollow but they also contain spaces for air sacs that help in boosting breathing capacity. Birds lack diaphragms and rely on muscular movements to inflate and deflate their air sacs. And this results in completing two breathing cycles to exchange air in lungs.
8. Swan-Necked Structure of All Birds
Yes, you heard it right. You might think how it is even possible. If you consider birds like pigeons, owls and other short birds, then they do not seem to have this S-shaped structure. But to your dismay, it is true. From neckless budgie and penguin to ostriches and flamingo, all have a S-shaped neck. Shorter-necked birds may have a few less vertebrae but their necks are still extremely long and in some cases e.g. owls, they simply fold their neck vertebrate into a seldom-extended S shape. Their neck is well-hidden behind the array of feathers.
7. Birds walk on their toes
Birds are generally known as ‘digitigrades’ because they walk on their toes due to a strange path of avian evolution. Thanks to the evolutionary adaptations of avian bipedalism that are functionally similar to the human legs, the leg and toe arrangements of birth are rather peculiar. And their counter-intuitive leg and foot structures confuse the casual observers. The bend in bird’s leg that you see in a standing avian may look like a backward-facing reversed knee but In fact it is bird’s ankle joint. The bird’s foot that you see is not the foot, but simply a collection of extended toe bones.
6. Outrageous and Frequent Hybridization
It has been seen that one in 10 of 10,000 bird species successfully hybridize in the wild. This bird hybridization can even reach between the birds of different genera, such as crossing of completely distant raptor species, songbirds or herons. Especially, the duck hybridization may take a profound turn, with hybrids known to have occurred between the rather typical common goldeneye and the rakish, tooth-bearing hooded merganser.
5. Sibling Rivalry is a wide-spread Phenomenon
As the natural selection starts at close quarters in the nest, the sibling rivalry takes variety of deadly turns. In species such as raptors, sibling rivalry is so violent that is has become known to ornithologists as “Cainism”. It is seen the larger, stronger and powerful sibling always tend to attack the weaker nestling, leading to death in some case. And it is also believed that the surviving bird carries the strongest genes with successful fledgling and eventual reproduction.
4. Long Tongue and Skull Structure of Woodpeckers
Woodpeckers are widely known for their powerful bill and a thick skull that allows them to pound away the trees. But it is the nature of their tongue that allows them to extract prey once a hole has been excavated. Woodpeckers have the longest tongues in proportion to the body size of all the birds. A woodpecker’s tongue is actually anchored through horns at the front of bird’s skull through the right nostril. It is even believed that the tongue of woodpecker is nearly as long as the woodpecker itself which helps to collect the insects from any possible crevice.
3. Adaption of Dense and Heavy Skeletal by Diving Ducks
It is seen that the dabbling ducks feed on the surface or grub for food at shallow pond edges. They are light in weight and do not dive. In order to facilitate their plunges to the bottom in the search of food, diving ducks have evolved dense, heavy skeletal structures and a compact body shape. But this also results in a serious drawback. Due to this heavy skeletal, they have to compromise on their flying abilities. It is the reason that they are seen taking a long run to take off and flying close to the surface of water only because the air cushion from the water stroke helps these heavy birds to fly efficiently.
2. Mobbing is very prevalent among birds
A large number of birds are seen getting involved in the mobbing. It is the assemblage of multi-species parties set upon tormenting a predator or other bird. This behavior has definitely made scientists surprised as they debate over the exact motive behind this behavior of theirs. It is concluded that they may mob to raise the awareness of a predator’s presence or to eliminate the element of surprise in a successful event.
1. Hidden Eyeballs
The scientists have discovered the fact that the birds have the best vision in the whole animal kingdom. And if to talk about the position then the raptors are ranked first with an ability to scan for prey up to 8 km while songbirds can pick out even the smallest grub with ease. For this incredible feature, the avian eyeballs need to possess a very special kind of structure. A bird’s orbital socket hides most of the eyeball. The actual size of eyes of a typical bird can take up to almost 15 percent of its head mass. We humans have only 1 percent of our head mass in the form of eyes. SO, you can easily imagine how enormous eye size they possess.