Download Seabirds - At Flight Over and In the Ocean

Chapter 7 Pages 7-20 to 7-22
Seabirds - At Flight Over and In the Ocean
Seabirds - At Flight Over and In the Ocean
7-1
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Chapter 7 Pages 7-20 to 7-21
Seabirds - At Flight Over and In the Ocean
Characteristics of Birds
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Chapter 7 Pages 7-20 to 7-21
Seabirds - At Flight Over and In the Ocean
Characteristics of Birds
 Birds are vertebrates in class Aves. They share several
characteristics:
 Feathers, unique to this class.
 Forelimbs that are wings.
 A four-chambered heart and lay internally fertilized eggs.
 Marine birds are important to the marine ecosystem:
 They are predators that consume fish, crustaceans, and
mollusks.
 In turn they are prey to marine mammals and sharks.
 They supply guano – a significant source of nutrients,
specially organic nitrogen important to sea life.
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Chapter 7 Pages 7-20 to 7-21
Seabirds - At Flight Over and In the Ocean
Characteristics of Birds
 Many species of birds exhibit related adaptations
to an aquatic life:
 Webbed feet for swimming and floating on the
surface.
 Bill adaptations suited to catching their marine
prey, like the pelican’s pouch.
 The cormorant flies over water, and dives in it in
pursuit of prey.
 Birds, like the albatross, have wings and flight
characteristics adapted to long-duration flying over
wide expanses of water.
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 Penguins, order Sphenisciformes, all live in the
Southern hemisphere.
 Penguins make up about 80% of all Antarctic birds
and by far outnumber even the massive marine
mammal populations.
Chapter 7 Page 7-21
Seabirds - At Flight Over and In the Ocean
Special Attributes of Penguins
Emperor Penguins.
Adapted to a totally
marine existence.
7-5
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Chapter 7 Page 7-21
Seabirds - At Flight Over and In the Ocean
Special Attributes of Penguins
 Penguins, order Sphenisciformes, all live in the Southern
hemisphere.
 Penguins make up about 80% of all Antarctic birds and by far
outnumber even the massive marine mammal populations.
 Not all species live in cold places.
 Penguins are found on the coasts of South America, Africa,
Australia, New Zealand, and the nutrient-rich waters
surrounding the Galapagos Islands near the equator,
 They cannot fly, but they’re as at home underwater as other
birds are in the air. They:
 Spend as much as 75% of their time under water searching
for food.
 Can reach depths of 100 meters (328 feet) and deeper.
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