Class – Birds (AVES) – (All Age Levels)

Birds are in the Class Aves and come in all shapes and sizes from hummingbirds weighing less than 1/10 of an ounce to 200-pound ostriches. All have some important traits in common.

1. They are the only animals with feathers.
2. They have beaks instead of teeth.
3. Birds have wings instead of front feet or arms.
4. They are warm-blooded.
5. They do not give birth to live young like mammals, but lay eggs.
6. Most birds take care of their young, feeding them until they are old enough to find their own food.
7. Most birds build nests.
8. Birds have good eyesight and can see colors.
9. Many birds travel south to a warmer climate in winter (migrate) and return north in summer to feed and reproduce.
10. Most birds can fly, so have large chest muscles for wing power and hollow bones to make them lighter.
11. Birds can survive cold temperatures because they have an underlying layer of down feathers that act as thermal insulation, like wearing a down jacket!
12. Birds sing to attract a mate or mark a territory.
13. Male birds are often (but not always) much more brightly colored than females. This is called sexual dimorphism. Females are often dull colored to blend in (camouflage) while nesting. Some birds eat meat (rodents, fish, other birds or carrion). Some are seed eaters and some eat plants.
14. Some birds are flightless. Flightless birds include the ostrich, emu, rhea, cassowary, kiwi, penguins, and others. They nest on the ground and have developed ways of defending themselves from predators. They are fast runners or fast swimmers. Some can kick. Many flightless birds lived on Islands where there were no predators, so didn’t need to fly. When people came to the islands bringing dogs and pigs, they had no defenses. This led to the endangerment of many species and the total extinction of the dodo by the 1700s.

The Class Aves (Birds) is broken down into many Orders (though their classification is changing over time).

Study some of the current Orders below to find the birds in your area.
Phylum: Chordata,
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Birds
Orders:

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