1. Birds
Class: Aves

2. Information on Birds About 10,000 species of birds
Smallest is a 5 cm bee hummingbird
Largest is a 2.7 m ostrich
Come in all colors
Some can even mimic human speech
Live from Arctic to Antarctica
Migrate to take advantage of food sources.

4. Bird Status Many species are declining worldwide.
125 species have become extinct.
1200 species are threatened.
Habitat loss, overhunting, accidents, pollution, climate change and non-native invasive species are the reasons for decline.
California Condor – success story were only 22 in 1987 to now over 300

5. Information on California Condor
The massive California Condor is one of America's largest and rarest birds.
The adult is mostly black with large white wing patches and a featherless head.
The color of the head can vary from white, to pink, to orange, depending on the condor's emotional state.
The male condor has a tuft of black feathers extending from the base of the neck.
The condor's wingspan can exceed nine feet and the average adult weighs in excess of 20 pounds.

6. Characteristics of Birds
All lay eggs to incubate young.
Have a beak with no teeth (has an egg tooth when baby hatches from the egg)
Light weight strong skeleton
4 chambered heart
High metabolic rate
Feathers
Social – flocking equals safety
Warm blooded vertebrae
Poor sense of smell – only vultures have good sense of smell
Plumage is usually molted 1 time a year after breeding.

7. Evolution Wings are evolutionary adaptation of ancient forelimbs.
Fossil record indicates birds evolved from Theropod dinosaurs during Jurassic period.
Some birds have learned to use tools.
Most birds stay with their mate only one season.

8. Economy
Around 76 million tons of poultry are eaten worldwide every year.
Chicken is the number one type of poultry followed by turkey, duck and geese.
Around 61 million eggs are eaten worldwide every year.
Down feathers are used in bedding.
Hunted for sport