How well do you know your birds? A Bird Anatomy and Physiology Quiz, 1.

David Beeson, June 2022

ANSWERS WILL BE IN A SEPARATE POST … so, you cannot cheat here!

QUESTION ONE

Name the three types of feathers on a typical bird, such as a sparrow.

QUESTION TWO

In mammals, skin hair cells have muscles attached to change their orientations. For example, when they are cold. Does this happen in birds?

QUESTION THREE

Do feathers have a blood supply?

QUESTION FOUR

There is an old music hall song claiming that a thrush has 40 000 feathers. How many feathers are there on a wintering swan (the highest number I know)? a) 1 000, b) 20 000, c) 40 000 or d) 100 000.

QUESTION FIVE

Is it true that the change from winter plumage to summer, breeding, plumage is often achieved by the abrasion of the end of the feathers?

QUESTION SIX

When humans tan, it is caused by the production of melanin in the skin. Do birds make melanin?

QUESTION SEVEN

How long do feathers last on a golden eagle?

QUESTION EIGHT

What are the ‘wish bones’ of a bird?

QUESTION NINE

The keel of a bird’s skeleton is long and strong for the attachment of the main flight muscles, but penguins do not fly. Do penguins have a keel attached to their ribs and sternum (breast bone)?

QUESTION TEN

All mammals, including the giraffe, have seven neck vertebrae. Is there a similar number in birds?