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Birds Anatomy (Conure)
By peace | August 19, 2007
The conure’s body is very similar to that of a human body. They have skin, skeleton, respiratory, cardiovascular, digestive, excretory, and nervous systems and sensory organs, although the various systems work in slightly different ways.
1. Skin
The conure’s feathers cover up their skin. Modified skin cells help make up the conure’s beak, cere, claws and the scales on their feet and legs. Birds have no sweat glands, so they must have a way to cool themselves off. One way a bird cool herself is by sitting with their wings held away from their body, rolling her tongue and holding their mouth open.
2. Musculoskeletal System
Birds have hollow bones. These make them lighter and flying would be easier, but it would also means that their bones are more susceptible to breakage. Birds also have air sac in their bones (pneumatic bones) and in certain body cavities that help lighten the bird’s body and also cool them more efficiently. During breeding season, a female bird’s bones become denser to enable her to store the calcium needed to create eggshells.
3. Respiratory System
The bird has highly efficient respiratory system that works differently from that of human. Air enters the body through the bird’s nares and passes through her sinuses and into her throat. As it does, the air is filtered through the choana, which is a slit that can easily be seen in the roof of many birds’ mouths. The choana also helps clean and warm the air before it goes further into the respiratory system. After the air passes the choana, it flows through the larynx and trachea, past the syrinx or voice box. The vibrations of the syrinx membrane enable birds to make sounds — they do not have vocal cords. As the air continues its journey past the syrinx and into the bronchi. Birds do not have diaphragms. Instead, birds’ body wall expands and contracts. This action brings air into the air sacs of the skeleton. This bellows action also moves air in and out of the lungs.
Although a bird’s respiratory system is extremely efficient at exchanging gases in the system, two complete breaths are required to do the same work that a single breath does in people and other mammals. This is why you may notice that your bird seems to be breathing quite quickly.
4. Nervous System
The birds’ nervous system is very similar to human. Both are made up of the brain, the spinal cord, and countless nerves throughout the body that transmit messages to and from the brain.
5. Cardiovascular System
Along with the respiratory system, the bird’s cardiovacular system keeps oxygen and other nutrients moving throughout her body, although the circulatory path in the conure differs from that of human. In the conure, blood flowing from the legs, reproductive system and lower intestines passes through the kidneys on its way back to the general circulatory system. The conure has a four-chambered heart, like human, with two atria and two ventricles. However, the conure has an average heart rate of 340-600 beats per minute!
6. Digestive System
The digestive system provides the uel that maintains the bird’s body temperature — which is higher than human. The conure’s digestive system begins with her beak. The size and shape of a bird’s beak depend on her food-gathering needs. After the food leaves the bird’s mouth, it travels down the oesophagus, where it is moistened. The food then travels to the crop, where it is moistened further and is passed in small increments into the bird’s gizzard. Between the crop and the gizzard, food passes through the proventriculus, where digestive juices are added. The food next travels to the small intestine, where nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream. Anything that left over travels through the large intestine to the cloaca, which is the common chamber that collects wastes before they leave the bird’s body through the vent.
Along with the solid-waste created by the digestive system, the conure’s kidneys create urine, which is transported through ureters to the cloaca for excretion. Unlike a mammal, a bird does not have a bladder or a urethra.
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