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Abert’s Towhee Acadian Flycatcher Acorn Woodpecker Alder Flycatcher Allen’s Hummingbird Altamira Oriole American Avocet American Bittern American Black Duck American Coot American Crow American Dipper American Golden-Plover American Goldfinch American Kestrel American Oystercatcher American Pipit American Redstart American Robin American Three-toed Woodpecker American Tree Sparrows American White Pelican American Wigeon American Woodcock Anhinga Anna’s Hummingbird Arctic Tern Arizona Woodpecker Ash-Throated Flycatcher Atlantic Puffin Audubon’s Oriole Bachman’s Sparrow Baird’s Sandpiper Baird’s Sparrow Bald Eagle Baltimore Oriole Band-tailed Pigeon Bank Swallow Barn Owl Barn Swallow Barred Owl Barrow’s Goldeneye Bay-breasted Warbler Bell’s Vireo Belted Kingfisher Bendire’s Thrasher Bewick’s Wren Black Guillemot Black Oystercatcher Black Phoebe Black Rail Black Rosy-Finch Black Scoter Black Skimmer Black Swift Black Tern Black Turnstone Black Vulture Black-and-white Warbler Black-backed Woodpecker Black-bellied Plover Black-bellied Whistling-Duck Black-billed Cuckoo Black-billed Magpie Black-capped Chickadee Black-capped Vireo Black-chinned Hummingbird Black-chinned Sparrow Black-crested Titmouse Black-crowned Night-Heron Black-footed Albatross Black-headed Grosbeak Black-legged Kittiwake Black-necked Stilt Black-throated Blue Warbler Black-throated Gray Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Black-throated Sparrow Blackburnian Warbler Blackpoll Warbler Blue Grosbeak Blue Jay Blue-footed Booby Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Blue-headed Vireo Blue-throated Hummingbird Blue-winged Teal Blue-winged Warbler Boat-tailed Grackle Bobolink Bohemian Waxwing Bonaparte’s Gull Boreal Chickadee Boreal Owl Botteri’s Sparrow Brandt’s Cormorant Brant Brewer’s Blackbird Brewer’s Sparrow Bridled Titmouse Broad-billed Hummingbird Broad-tailed Hummingbird Broad-winged Hawk Bronzed Cowbird Brown Booby Brown Creeper Brown Pelican Brown Thrasher Brown-capped Rosy-Finch Brown-headed Cowbird Brown-headed Nuthatch Buff-bellied Hummingbird Buff-breasted Flycatcher Buff-breasted Sandpiper Bufflehead Bullock’s Oriole Burrowing Owl Bushtit Cackling Goose Cactus Wren California Condor California Gull California Quail California Thrasher California Towhee Calliope Hummingbird Canada Goose Canada Jay (Previously Gray Jay) Canada Warbler Canvasback Canyon Towhee Canyon Wren Cape May Warbler Carolina Chickadee Carolina Wren Caspian Tern Cassin’s Auklet Cassin’s Finch Cassin’s Kingbird Cassin’s Sparrow Cassin’s Vireo Cattle Egret Cave Swallow Cedar Waxwing Cerulean Warbler Chestnut-backed Chickadee Chestnut-collared Longspur Chestnut-sided Warbler Chihuahuan Raven Chimney Swift Chipping Sparrow Chuck-will’s-widow Chukar Cinnamon Teal Clapper Rail Clark’s Grebe Clark’s Nutcracker Clay-colored Sparrow Cliff Swallow Colima Warbler Common Eider Common Gallinule Common Goldeneye Common Grackle Common Ground-Dove Common Loon Common Merganser Common Murre Common Nighthawk Common Pauraque Common Poorwill Common Raven Common Redpoll Common Tern Common Yellowthroat Connecticut Warbler Cooper’s Hawk Cordilleran Flycatcher Costa’s Hummingbird Couch’s Kingbird Crescent-chested Warbler Crested Caracara Crissal Thrasher Curve-billed Thrasher Dark-eyed Junco Dickcissel Double-crested Cormorant Dovekie Downy Woodpecker Dunlin Dusky Flycatcher Dusky Grouse Eared Grebe Eastern Bluebird Eastern Kingbird Eastern Meadowlark Eastern Phoebe Eastern Screech-Owl Eastern Towhee Eastern Whip-poor-will Eastern Wood-Pewee Elegant Tern Elf Owl Emperor Goose Eurasian Collared-Dove Eurasian Tree Sparrow Eurasian Wigeon European Starling Evening Grosbeak Ferruginous Hawk Field Sparrow Fish Crow Flammulated Owl Florida Scrub-Jay Forster’s Tern Fox Sparrow Franklin’s Gull Fulvous Whistling-Duck Gadwall Gambel’s Quail Gila Woodpecker Gilded Flicker Glaucous Gull Glaucous-winged Gull Glossy Ibis Golden Eagle Golden-cheeked Warbler Golden-crowned Kinglet Golden-crowned Sparrow Golden-crowned Warbler Golden-fronted Woodpecker Golden-winged Warbler Grace’s Warbler Grasshopper Sparrow Gray Catbird Gray Flycatcher Gray Kingbird Gray Partridge Gray Vireo Gray-cheeked Thrush Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch Great Black-backed Gull Great Blue Heron Great Cormorant Great Crested Flycatcher Great Egret Great Gray Owl Great Horned Owl Great Kiskadee Great-tailed Grackle Greater Pewee Greater Prairie-Chicken Greater Roadrunner Greater Sage-Grouse Greater Scaup Greater White-fronted Goose Greater Yellowlegs Green Heron Green Jay Green-tailed-towhee Green-winged Teal Groove-billed Ani Gull-billed Tern Gunnison Sage-Grouse Gyrfalcon Hairy Woodpecker Hammond’s Flycatcher Harlequin Duck Harris’s Hawk Harris’s Sparrow Heermann’s Gull Henslow’s Sparrow Hepatic Tanager Hermit Thrush Hermit Warbler Herring Gull Hoary Redpoll Hooded Merganser Hooded Oriole Hooded Warbler Horned Grebe Horned Lark Horned Puffin House Finch House Sparrow House Wren Hudsonian Godwit Hutton’s Vireo Inca Dove Indigo Bunting Ivory-billed Woodpecker Juniper Titmouse Kentucky Warbler Killdeer King Eider King Rail Kirtland’s Warbler Ladder-backed Woodpecker Lapland Longspur Lark Bunting Lark Sparrow Laughing Gull Lawrence’s Goldfinch Lazuli Bunting Le Conte’s Sparrow Le Conte’s Thrasher Least Bittern Least Flycatcher Least Grebe Least Sandpiper Least Tern Lesser Black-backed Gull Lesser Goldfinch Lesser Prairie-Chicken Lesser Scaup Lesser Yellowlegs Lewis’s Woodpecker Limpkin Lincoln’s Sparrow Little Blue Heron Loggerhead Shrike Long-billed Curlew Long-billed Dowitcher Long-eared Owl Long-tailed Duck Louisiana Waterthrush Lucifer Hummingbird Lucy’s Warbler MacGillivray’s Warbler Magnificent Frigatebird Magnificent Hummingbird Magnolia Warbler Mallard Mangrove Cuckoo Marbled Godwit Marsh Wren Masked Duck McCown’s Longspur Merlin Mew Gull Mexican Jay Mississippi Kite Montezuma Quail Mottled Duck Mountain Bluebird Mountain Chickadee Mountain Plover Mountain Quail Mourning Dove Mourning Warbler Mute Swan Nashville Warbler Neotropic Cormorant Northern Bobwhite Northern Cardinal Northern Flicker Northern Fulmar Northern Gannet Northern Goshawk Northern Harrier Northern Hawk Owl Northern Mockingbird Northern Parula Northern Pintail Northern Rough-winged Swallow Northern Saw-whet Owl Northern Shoveler Northern Shrike Northern Waterthrush Northwestern Crow Nuttall’s Woodpecker Oak Titmouse Olive-sided Flycatcher Orange-crowned Warbler Orchard Oriole Osprey Ovenbird Pacific Golden-Plover Pacific Loon Pacific-slope Flycatcher Painted Bunting Painted Redstart Palm Warbler Pectoral Sandpiper Pelagic Cormorant Peregrine Falcon Phainopepla Philadelphia Vireo Pied-billed Grebe Pigeon Guillemot Pileated Woodpecker Pine Grosbeak Pine Siskin Pine Warbler Pinyon Jay Piping Plover Plain Chachalaca Plumbeous Vireo Prairie Falcon Prairie Warbler Prothonotary Warbler Purple Finch Purple Gallinule Purple Martin Purple Sandpiper Pygmy Nuthatch Pyrrhuloxia Razorbill Red Crossbill Red Knot Red Phalarope Red-bellied Woodpecker Red-breasted Merganser Red-breasted Nuthatch Red-breasted Sapsucker Red-cockaded Woodpecker Red-eyed Vireo Red-faced Warbler Red-headed Woodpecker Red-naped Sapsucker Red-necked Grebe Red-necked Phalarope Red-shouldered Hawk Red-tailed Hawk Red-throated Loon Red-winged Blackbird Reddish Egret Redhead Ring-billed Gull Ring-necked Duck Ring-necked Pheasant Rock Pigeon Rock Ptarmigan Rock Sandpiper Rose-breasted Grosbeak Roseate Spoonbill Roseate Tern Ross’s Goose Rough-legged Hawk Royal Tern Ruby-crowned Kinglet Ruby-throated Hummingbird Ruddy Duck Ruddy Turnstone Ruffed Grouse Rufous Hummingbird Rufous-capped Warbler Rufous-winged Sparrow Rusty Blackbird Sabine’s Gull Sage Sparrow Sage Thrasher Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow Sanderling Sandhill Crane Sandwich Tern Savannah Sparrow Say’s Phoebe Scaled Quail Scarlet Tanager Scissor-tailed Flycatcher Scott’s Oriole Seaside Sparrow Sedge Wren Semipalmated Plover Semipalmated Sandpiper Sharp-shinned Hawk Sharp-tailed Grouse Short-billed Dowitcher Short-eared Owl Slate-throated Redstart Smith’s Longspur Smooth-billed Ani Snail Kite Snow Bunting Snow Goose Snowy Egret Snowy Plover Solitary Sandpiper Song Sparrow Sooty Grouse Sora Spotted Owl Spotted Sandpiper Spotted Towhee Sprague’s Pipit Spruce Grouse Steller’s Jay Stilt Sandpiper Summer Tanager Surf Scoter Surfbird Swainson’s Hawk Swainson’s Thrush Swainson’s Warbler Swallow-tailed Kite Swamp Sparrow Tennessee Warbler Thick-billed Murre Townsend’s Solitaire Townsend’s Warbler Tree Swallow Tricolored Heron Tropical Kingbird Trumpeter Swan Tufted Puffin Tufted Titmouse Tundra Swan Turkey Vulture Upland Sandpiper Varied Bunting Varied Thrush Vaux’s Swift Veery Verdin Vermilion Flycatcher Vesper Sparrow Violet-green Swallow Virginia Rail Virginia’s Warbler Warbling Vireo Western Bluebird Western Grebe Western Gull Western Kingbird Western Sandpiper Western Screech-Owl Western Tanager Western Wood-Pewee Western-Meadowlark Whimbrel White Ibis White-breasted Nuthatch White-crowned Pigeon White-crowned Sparrow White-eyed Vireo White-faced Ibis White-headed Woodpecker White-rumped Sandpiper White-tailed Hawk White-tailed Kite White-tailed Ptarmigan White-throated Sparrow White-throated Swift White-tipped Dove White-winged Crossbill White-winged Dove White-winged Scoter Whooping Crane Wild Turkey Willet Williamson’s Sapsucker Willow Flycatcher Willow Ptarmigan Wilson’s Phalarope Wilson’s Plover Wilson’s Snipe Wilson’s Warbler Winter Wren Wood Duck Wood Stork Wood Thrush Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jay Worm-eating Warbler Wrentit Yellow Rail Yellow Warbler Yellow-bellied Flycatcher Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Yellow-billed Cuckoo Yellow-billed Magpie Yellow-breasted Chat Yellow-crowned Night-Heron Yellow-headed Blackbird Yellow-rumped Warbler Yellow-throated Vireo Yellow-throated Warbler Zone-tailed Hawk

Bird Anatomy – All You Need To Know

Bird anatomy

In order to properly identify birds, you first need to know their anatomy. Below, we’ve listed the basic anatomy of birds. Some of these terms will be appropriate for one bird but not another. For example, some birds have wing bars, eye rings, and crests, while others don’t.

Bird anatomy is different than the anatomy of almost all mammals. Birds have two wings and hop on two legs. Additionally, birds have beaks instead of jaws with teeth and feathers instead of hair.

However, that doesn’t mean they aren’t like us in a few ways. Birds are warm-blooded and have a body temperature of around 104°F or 40°C. This is a few degrees warmer than a lot of mammals. Birds also have two ears and two eyes, just like us.

 

Head

We’re going to start with the head. This is because it’s one of the first places you should look for defining marks to help with identification. The top of a bird’s head is called the crown, and the back of the bird’s head is called the nape. These are critical parts of a bird’s head that can help you pinpoint a bird.

Varied Thrush

Varied Thrush. Note the orange stripe starting on the head.

Here are some defining marks that you can take a look at to help you identify a bird:

  • Absence or presence of a crest.
  • Crown stripe. The crown stripe is a line that goes through the midline of the head.
  • Eyebrow stripe. This is also known as the superciliary. The eyebrow stripe is a line that goes over the bird’s eye.
  • Eyeline. The eyeline is a line that goes through the eye.
  • Eyerings are very noticeable marks. It’s a ring of color around a bird’s eye.
  • Eye color, the color of the iris, can also be very useful for identification.
  • Malar stripe, also known as whisker mark or mustache.
  • Some birds have throat patches. These are distinct and can really help you narrow down a species along with other features.
  • The color of the lower and upper beak.
  • Color of the lore. The lore is the area between the eye and the base of the beak.

 

Bill

Short-billed Dowitcher

Photograph © Glenn Bartley.

The shape, color, and size of a bird’s bill are crucial for identification. Bird bills can vary greatly, so be sure to keep an eye out for other standout features like bands on the bill, different colored bills, curvature, etc.

 

Chin

The chin of a bird is where our chin is. It sits directly below the bird’s “mouth” (bill). It’s not easy to see the chin on many birds. However, in some cases, birds will have a chin that is a different color than the rest of their body. This can be extremely useful for identification when this is the case.

 

Nares

Male and female swans

Swans have noticeable nares.

Nares are essentially a bird’s nostrils. These are external openings of a bird’s respiratory tract found on the sides of the beak. In some bird species, nares are covered by feathers, making seeing them challenging.

Nares function like human nostrils, they filter the air that bird’s breathe.

Crown

Northern Cardinal

Northern Cardinals are known to raise their crest when they feel threatened or are agitated.

The crest is a group of feathers that some bird species have on top of the head. Crest feathers can be permanently up or move up and down, depending on the species. The crest is not the same as the crown. The crown is just the top of a bird’s head. Not all birds have a crest, but all birds do have a crown.

 

Nape

The nape is the back of a bird’s neck, just like humans! However, the mantle is something that gets mistaken for the nape. The mantle on birds is the feathers on the bird’s back just below the nape of the neck.

 

Neck

Little Blue Heron

Copyright Glenn Bartley

It’s hard to see a bird’s neck. Many species have relatively short necks making them insignificant. However, wading birds, like cranes, herons, and egrets, have very prominent necks, making them a great feature for identifying birds.

Additionally, the length of a bird’s neck can help distinguish between different bird species. To put this into perspective, swans have many more vertebrae in their necks than parrots do. Swans have 25 vertebrae in their necks, while parrots have 9.

 

Chest

The chest, also known as the breast, is the upper part of a bird’s body between the abdomen and the throat. A bird’s chest can be a different color than the rest of its body or have spots, streaks, or stripes that can be very helpful with identification.

 

Abdomen

The abdomen, also known as the belly, extends from the undertail coverts to the bottom of the bird’s chest. The abdomen is a great feature to look at for identification because markings and colors on this area may vary from flanks to chest.

 

Flanks

Cedar Waxwing

A bird’s flanks are essentially its sides. The flanks are located between the abdomen and the underside of the wings. A lot of bird species have unique markings or colors on their flanks. However, we would like to mention that the flanks can be hard to see on some birds due to how they carry their weight.

 

Back

Birds’ backs are easy to see when a bird is in the right posture and tend to be broad. Be sure to look for different markings and colors on the back that are easily distinguishable from the wings, rump, and neck.

 

Rump

A bird’s rump is a patch low on the back and above the tail. The rump doesn’t stand out on many birds, but some bird species show unique color patches on their rumps that can be extremely helpful for identification.

 

Tail

scissor-tailed-flycatcher-in-flight - Lora render

Just like other bird features, their tails are crucial for proper identification. Birds can hold their tails in various positions and often have different positions for flying and perching.

Tails are not needed for flight, but they do allow birds to have more control. A bird’s tail lowers the LID, also known as the lift-to-drag ratio.

The tail also helps birds maintain stability during different flight speeds and generates lift to help with slow flight and turning.

 

Wings

Birds’ wings can be very distinct. Birds like vireos and warblers have wing markings that can help you identify them. Other bird species, like sparrows and flycatchers, don’t have wing markings which can also help with identification. Birds like raptors, shorebirds, ducks, and others have distinctive wing markings that can be seen in flight.

Keep an eye out for these field markings:

  • Wingbars. These are stripes that can be seen across the wing when it’s folded.
  • Wing patches. These are blocks of color that can be seen on the wing.
  • Wing tips can vary in color, helping you pinpoint what bird you’re looking at.
  • Wing lining. The wing lining involves the feathers that cover the underside of the wing.
  • Primaries. Primaries are the long-flight feathers on the outer portion of the wing.
  • Secondaries. Secondaries are the flight feathers on the inner portion of the wing.
  • Speculum. The speculum is a patch of colored secondaries. These are common in ducks, so be sure to look for them when identifying a bird of this species.

 

A bird’s wing consists of wrist, elbow, and shoulder joints. These establish the basic shape of the wings and allow the birds to have a range of motion.

Primary, secondary, and coverts cover the skeleton, stabilize flight, and provide lift. Flapping is a common thing birds do. This movement helps birds push themselves through the air.

On the downstroke, the air is forced down, which pushes the bird up. While this happens, the wing’s tip tilts forward, pushing air back. As I’m sure you guessed, this propels the bird forward.

Small birds flap their wings in fast bursts, while larger birds flap slowly and glide wherever possible.

Bald Eagle taking off

 

Feet

There are many different shapes of bird feet. There are climbing feet, swimming feet, running feet, perching feet, grasping feet, and scratching feet. Climbing feet can be seen on birds like woodpeckers. These feet have back toes, so they don’t topple backward and help them climb wood.

Swimming feet can be found on birds like ducks, and they’re webbed. These feet allow birds to paddle through the water. Running feet can be seen on birds like emus and ostriches, with all the toes facing forward.

Perching feet are common in our backyard birds. They have four toes, one in the back. These help them perch on trees and balance. Grasping feet can be found on raptors, like hawks and eagles. These feet are clawlike and allow the bird to grasp their prey.

Lastly, we have scratching feet. Scratching feet can be found on birds like chickens. These feet have four toes with sharp claws that help them dig in the ground. Many feet are the same color as a bird’s legs, but there are always exceptions.

Nuttalls Woodpecker

 

Bone Structure

Bird bones are lighter than mammal bones. In fact, some bones act as part of the avian respiratory system and are hollow!

Bones that are a part of the respiratory system are called pneumatic bones and include the humerus, skull, clavicle, keel, lumbar and sacral vertebrae, and pelvic girdle.

The wings and bill are part of a bird’s skeleton. The bill is composed of two bones. The upper beak, also known as the premaxillary bone, and the lower jaw, also known as the mandibular bone.

 

Anatomical differences

Birds have several anatomical differences from other animals. For example, unlike most mammals, birds have:

  • Birds don’t have a diaphragm. This means their abdomen directly communicates with the lungs, thorax, air sacs, and heart.
  • Birds have a variety of pneumatic bones. This just means that the bones are filled with air. These bones communicate with the thorax and abdomen.
  • Birds have complex air sac systems that spread through their entire body with a complex one-way airflow. This means birds breathe in two cycles before the air is exhaled back out.
  • Birds can’t be “strangled” due to their complete cartilaginous tracheal rings. This means that birds have no soft spots in their trachea. However, mammals have tracheal ligaments that can collapse.
  • Respiration is accomplished by the free chest and abdomen movements. This means that a minimal amount of internal lung movement happens.
  • Female birds are able to store additional calcium in their normally hollow bones before laying eggs.
  • Birds have very flexible and long cervical spines. Mammals have an average of seven cervical vertebrae, while birds have anywhere from 11 and 25. This is demonstrated by how well birds can reach almost any body part with their beak to preen and turn their heads.
  • Of course, birds have the ability to fly. However, they don’t have a lot of coordination on the ground.
  • Birds don’t have any teeth.

 

Frequently Asked Questions About Bird Anatomy

What are the 7 main characteristics of birds?

The 7 main characteristics of birds are:

  • they lay hard-shelled eggs
  • feathers
  • a unique respiratory system
  • beaked jaws with no teeth
  • high metabolic rates
  • lightweight yet strong skeletons
  • four chamber hearts

 

Do all birds have the same anatomy?

All birds have the same basic skeletal structure and body design. However, these can vary slightly in shape and size based on the species.

What muscles allow birds to fly?

Birds use their pectoralis muscles to fly. These muscles move the humerus bone in the wing that fits around the shoulder.

Do birds have teeth?

No, birds do not have teeth.

Why don’t birds pee?

Birds excrete their nitrogenous wastes in the form of uric acid. Bird pee and poop come from the same place at the same time. The white part of their excretion is the uric acid, and the green or brown spotting you see in the white portions is their poop.

Do birds control when they poop?

Birds can control the flow of their poop, but they don’t have as much control as mammals.

Do birds feel pain in their feet?

Birds have very few pain receptors in their feet. So it’s theorized that they don’t really feel pain in their feet.

About the Author

Brianna Goulet

Brianna loves to get outdoors for everything creative and fun. She has a passion for birds and is a hobbyist wildlife photographer based in Central Florida. Her goal is to share everything you need to know about birds so you can get out there, explore, and identify confidently!

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