Cassowary

The Cassowary is a large, flightless bird from Australia and New Guinea. It is the biggest bird in Australia and the second-biggest mselves by kicking. Their three-toed feet have sharp claws; the dagger-like middle claw is 5 inches (12 cm) long. Cassowaries can run up to 32 mph (50 km/hr) and jump up to 5 feet (1.5 m). Two of the three cassowary species have red, fleshy wattles (loose skin hanging from the neck).
Eggs and Chicks: Females lay 3-8 large, pale green-blue eggs in each clutch (a set of eggs laid at one time). These eggs measure about 3.5 by 5.5 inches. Only ostrich and emu eggs are bigger. The male incubates (keeps warm) the eggs for 2 months, then cares for the brown-striped chicks for 9 months. The female does not care for the eggs or the chicks.
Diet: The cassowary is a frugivorous bird (it mostly eats fruit). Fallen fruit and fruit on low branches is the mainstay of its diet. It also eats fungi, insects, frogs, snakes and other small animals.

Eastern Bluebird

The Eastern Bluebird, Sialia sialis, is a blue songbird that sings a melodic warble. This beautiful member of the thrush family lives in the eastern half of the USA and in southern Canada, ranging from the Atlantic coast to the Rocky Mountains. Its numbers have been decreasing greatly in the last few decades. The Eastern Bluebird has a life span of about 6 years. This songbird is the state bird of Missouri and New York.
Anatomy: The Eastern Bluebird is about 5.5 to 7 inches (14-18 cm) long and has a wingspread of 11 to 13 inches (28-33 cm). The bill is thin. Males have bright blue feathers above, an orange-red throat and breast, and a white belly. Females are camouflaged; they have dull blue wings and tail, a gray head and back, a brown breast, a white eye ring, and a white belly.
Diet: The Eastern Bluebird mostly eats insects (especially grasshoppers, crickets, katydids, and beetles), worms, snails, and spiders; it also eats fruit.
Nest and Eggs: Eastern Bluebird nests are cup-like and are made from dried grass, pine needles, and plant stems. Nests are built in holes in trees and rotted tree stumps. Females lay 3-6 pale blue eggs in each clutch (a set of eggs laid at one time). The female incubates the eggs for 12-14 days. Both parents care for the hatchlings for 15-20 days, when the young leave the nest.

Black Swan

The black swan (Cygnus atratus) is an Australian native that has been introduced to other places, including New Zealand (where it is now considered a pest) and Sweden. The adult female is called a pen, the adult male is called a cob, and the baby is called a cygnet. Black swans are very territorial. They make honking and hissing noises. Black swans fly in a V-shaped formation and can fly at speeds of up to 50 miles per hour (80 kph). The black swan is the emblem of the State of Western Australia.
Anatomy: Black swans are long-necked black birds with a red beak tipped in white. The neck is longer than the body. Black swans have a wingspan of up to 6 feet (1.8 m) and are up to 4 feet (1.2 m) long. They weigh up to 13 pounds (6 kg). Males and females are similar in size.
Diet: The black swan eats mostly water plants and some grain. It reaches under the water with its long neck to get these plants, and it even eats the roots. Cygnets eat a lot of bugs and other small invertebrates, since they feed mostly from the water's surface.
Eggs and Nests: These graceful waterfowl mate for life. Black Swans build large nests located near the water; they are lined with swan down (delicate feathers). Females lay 4-8 pale green eggs in each clutch (a set of eggs laid at one time). Both parents care for the eggs and hatchlings.

Bird Skeleton

Birds have a lightweight skeleton. Most of the bones of flying birds are thin and hollow; some have internal struts or trusses (cross walls) that make them very strong. (Some flightless birds, like penguins, have solid bones.) The keel-shaped sternum (breastbone) is where the powerful flight muscles attach to the body.
Birds have a smaller total number of bones than mammals or reptiles. This is because many of their bones have fused together (like the middle to lower vertebrae), making the skeleton more rigid. Birds also have more neck (cervical) vertebrae than many other animals; most have 13 to 25 of these very flexible neck vertebrae (this helps them groom their feathers). Birds are are the only vertebrate animals to have a fused collarbone (the furcula or wishbone) or a keeled breastbone.

Label the External Bird Anatomy Diagram

abdomen - the belly.
auriculars (ear coverts) - the feathers that cover the bird's ear opening (located behind the eyes).
breast - the area over the belly and under the thprimaries - the main flight feathers on the wings (they are located on lower [outer] parts of the wings). scapulars - feathers on the shoulder (also called lesser secondary coverts).
secondaries - the smaller flight feathers on the wings - they are on the upper part of the wings (above the primaries).
tail feathers - flight feathers at the end of the bird (used for steering).
toes - the digits of the feet.
throat - the area under head and above the chest.
upper mandible - the upper part of the bill.
wing coverts - small feathers that cover the base of larger wing feathers (located at the top of the wings under the scapularsroat.
cere - the waxy-looking bumps on the upper beak of some birds (including the parrots, pigeons, and some hawks).
claws - hard talons at the end of each toe.
crown - the top of the bird's head.
forehead - the area directly above the eyes.
lore - the area on each side of a bird's face, between the eyes and the upper bill.
lower mandible - the lower part of the bill.
nape - the back of the neck.

Bald Eagle

The bald eagle, Haliaeetus leucocephalus, is a magnificent bird of prey that is native to North America. This majestic eagle is not really bald; white feathers cover its head. The derivation of the name "bald" is from an obsolete English word meaning white. The bald eagle has been the national symbol of the USA since 1782. Habitat: The bald eagle lives near rivers and large lakes, as it catches most of its food in the water.
Diet: Eagles are carnivores (meat-eaters) and hunt during the day (they are diurnal). They eat mostly fish. They also hunt and scavenge small mammals, snakes, and other birds.
Anatomy: Bald eagles have a long, downward-curving yellow bill, and large, keen eyes. These strong fliers have white feathers on their head, tail, and wing tips; the body has brown feathers. The feet have knife-like talons. Eagles have about 7,000 feathers. Adult eagles have a 7 ft (2.3 m) wingspan. The females are 30% larger than the males.
Nest and Eggs: Bald eagles build an enormous nest from twigs and leaves. The nest can be up to eight feet across and may weigh a ton! Nests are located high from the ground, either in large trees or on cliffs. Eagles may use the same enormous nest over and over again for years.
A clutch of 1 to 3 eggs eggs is laid by the female. The incubation period is from 1 to 1 1/2 months. Both males and females incubate the eggs. They both feed the hatchlings until they learn to fly (fledge).

Arctic Tern

Arctic tern (Sterna paradisaea) is a small bird that makes the longest migration of any bird. It breeds in the Arctic tundra (within the Arctic Circle), but flies to the edge of the Antarctic ice pack during the winter. It flies over 21,750 miles (35,000 km) each year - roughly the circumference of the Earth. This excellent flier spends most of its life flying. This tern always experiences long days, since it spends the summer in the Arctic and the (Northern Hemisphere) winter in the Antarctic.
These social birds live in large groups, called colonies. Immediately before beginning a migration, a noisy colony of birds suddenly becomes quiet, and they all take to the air and fly away (this behavior is called "dread").
Arctic terns have a life span of about 20 years.
Anatomy: The Arctic tern is about 12 to 15 inches (30-38 cm) long and weighs about 2.8-4 ounces (80-110 grams). Males and females are similar. The Arctic tern has webbed feet, the tail is long and forked, the legs are short and red, and the head is rounded and white with a black cap.
Diet: The Arctic tern eats
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