MIDTERM EXAMINATION
ZOOLOGY 467 -- ORNITHOLOGY
(18) MULTIPLE CHOICE (Choose the one best answer):
______ The number of bird species living today is approximately (1) 2600, (2) 4600, (3) 6600, (4) 9600, (5) 12,600.
______ The superorder Paleognathae includes the ratites, such as (1) rheas, emu, and ostrich, (2) Archaeopteryx, (3) loons and grebes, (4) anhingas and shags, (5) shoebill and hammerkop, (6) none of the above.
______ All extant birds have (1) feathers, (2) bill, (3) bipedal locomotion on land, (4) one occipital condyle, (5) all of the above, (6) none of the above.
______ Pelagic sea birds avoid accumulating excess salt in their body by (1) excreting uric acid, (2) selecting foods with low salt content, (3) drinking large amounts of water, (4) using the nasal gland for salt excretion, (5) none of the above.
______ The red coloration of the male Ruby-throated Hummingbird’s throat is the result of (1) carotenoids, (2) phaeomelanins, (3) structural reflectivity of feathers, (4) porphyrins, (5) all of the above, (6) none of the above.
______ Utilizing a countercurrent heat exchanger is one way to (1) keep one part of the body (e.g., brain) cooler than the rest of the body, (2) reduce losing body heat from the feet, (3) reduce losing heat from the forelimb, (4) all of the above, (5) none of the above.
______ In birds, the portion of the brain especially important in spatial memory is the (1) hippocampus, (2) cerebellum, (3) medulla oblongata, (4) cerebral cortex, (5) all of the above, (6) none of the above.
______ Associated with the bird eye is the (1) sacculus, (2) scleral ring, (3) rachis, (4) all of the above, (5) none of the above.
______ Avian communication can function for (1) individual recognition, (2) recruitment, (3) sexual attraction, (4) signaling alarm and distress, (5) all of the above, (6) none of the above.
(22) FILL-IN THE BLANKS (spell correctly):
A feather is composed of an insoluble substance (a protein) called ______________________________.
A type of feather whose function is primarily for tactile sensory perception is called _____________________________ ___.
The gland used by birds during preening that secretes a mixture of waxes, fatty acids, fat, and water is called the _____________ _________ gland.
The unusual feather pigments called turacin (bright magenta) and turacoverdin (bright green) are primarily found in birds of the avian order _____________________________________________________.
Birds called "tubenoses" are those in the order ___________________________________________;
whereas birds with totipalmate feet would likely be in the order ________________________________.
Vocal sound production in birds primarily involves the structure called the ________________________ plus the assistance of one or more air sacs.
Bird-nest soup is made from the nests of certain species in the order ______ __________________.
A common name for a bird in the order Phoenicopteriformes is ________ ____________________.
The unique shape and arrangement of barbules on the abdominal feathers of sandgrouse enable the male to do what activity for the young: ___ _________________________________________.
A dust-like substance resembling talcum powder is present on the contour feathers of many birds. The source of this substance is from (be very specific) _________________________ __________.
(22) TRUE - FALSE:
______ Sexual selection can involve intersexual selection but not intrasexual selection.
______ Birds generally produce 5 to 14 distinct calls having a variety of communicative functions.
______ One function of apteria appears to be to aid the bird in losing excess body heat.
______ Some birds use tools to assist their feeding activities.
______ Learning is not important for most songbirds to achieve the complete song of their species.
______ A large vocal repertoire appears to enhance a male bird’s reproductive success.
______ Some male/female bird pairs maintain their territory and pair bond by singing duets.
______ Especially because of biochemical data, the hoatzin is now placed in the order Sphenischiformes.
______ Vocal mimicry is one way that some birds enlarge their vocal repertoires.
______ Some birds can produce two sets of sounds simultaneously because the vocal apparatus consists of two independent halves.
______ Some birds can see the ultraviolet part of the light spectrum, whereas humans cannot.
(26) MATCHING (Choose the one best answer within each set):
_____ Coliiformes 1. Resplendent Quetzal
2. Bald Eagle
_____ Psittaciformes 3. Speckled Mousebird
4. Turkey Vulture
_____ Strigiformes 5. Common Potoo
6. Blue-and-yellow Macaw
_____ Trogoniformes 7. Band-tailed Pigeon
8. Eastern Screech Owl
_____ Piciformes 9. Great Blue Heron
10. Herring Gull and Spotted Sandpiper
_____ Passeriformes 11. Greater Flamingo
12. Satin Bowerbird
_____ Charadriiformes 13. Keel-billed Toucan
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_____ otoliths 1. sensing cold
2. hearing
_____ pecten 3. change of speed and turning
4. electrical field
_____ Herbst corpuscle 5. taste
6. chemoreception
_____ central fovea 7. memory
8. ultraviolet
_____ semicircular canal system 9. tactile perception
10. sharp vision
_____ columella 11. gravity detection
12. perhaps nutritional and O2 needs
(8) ILLUSTRATION:
Draw a bird wing that shows a design to reduce wing-tip vortex and briefly explain its advantage:
Draw one bird head for each of the following feeding specializations to show how bill morphology is often specifically adapted to foraging needs. Add brief explanation to clarify key features of the design.
flesh feeder (e.g., predator on mammals)
hard seed eater
filter feeder
(4) ESSAY (write clearly and in complete sentences): Circle one of the types of soaring listed below. Then, for that one type, (1) describe what specifically occurs and (2) clarify how this type of soaring is cost effective for the bird.
Circle your choice: • thermal soaring
• slope soaring
• dynamic soaring
1. Describe specifically what occurs in this type of soaring that makes it distinctive:
2. Clarify what effort the bird puts into this type of soaring and where the energy savings occurs to make it cost effective:
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Last updated: 24-Jan-01 / ghw