Short Essay on Birds – Meaning and Physical Features

Meaning of Birds

Birds are an amazing creature. Birds can get defined as a group of vertebrates that have evolved from dinosaurs. They have feathers and are endothermic.

Modern birds have beaked jaws and are toothless. They also lay hard-shelled eggs.

There are countless species of birds that live all across the globe. They have different sizes and can be as small as a hummingbird and as big as an ostrich. Birds are also the closest and the most intimate living relatives of crocodiles which is a group of reptiles.

Physical Features

Body structure

The bodies of the birds have a streamlined shape of assisting them in taking flight. Their bodies are covered in feathers and have limbs called wings that they use to flap for flying. Larger wings keep them in the air with less flapping. They also have a feathered tail to steer in different directions. Not all birds can fly through, some fly low, some fly high, but birds like penguins and emu cannot fly at all. They use their wings only as flappers. Peacocks have beautiful colored wings.

Beaks and food

Birds usually have beaks for eating food. Some have long needle-like beaks like the hummingbirds which enable them to suck nectar from the flowers. Woodpeckers have beaks that they use to peck at the wood. Birds such as pelicans have large sack-like beaks.

Bird feet

Birds have feet to suit the functions that are needed to be performed by them. Birds like Ducks wade in the water for their food, so they have webbed feet. Crows and parrots and such other birds have curved claws to perch on to the branches of trees. Eagles, hawks and such other birds have sharp talons.

The Benefits of Birds to Humans

Birds are dramatically diverse, and some even migrate to other parts of the world during cold climates. Birds have huge importance to nature as well as human beings. Although birds are not employed directly in agriculture by man, they do serve some undeniable benefits such as pollination, pest control, fertility, communication, and rodent control.

Conclusion

Birds are an important part of the fauna, many of utility but many also for their beauty and some for the melodious sounds.