Birds have contact and touch sensors on various parts of their bodies. These include their feet, bills and tongues ( i.e Woodpeckers). This relates to the fact that it is these parts of their bodies which most often come into contact with the rest of the world. In some birds the tactile sensors are particularly well developed in the bills allowing them to feed mostly by probing and feeling for prey, this is most evident in waders. Birds also have special small feathers called bristles which are situated all around the body and which help birds know where their feathers are.
Some birds also have large numbers of vibration sensors called Herbot's corpuscles located in their legs. These allow them to detect the approach of other birds or predators along both the ground and on the limbs of trees. Herbot's corpuscles have also come to play a role in the nuptial displays of certain species of grouse. This ability to detect very faint vibrations has also been suggested as a reason why birds seem to know when an earthquake is about to happen before we humans have any idea about it.
| The Basic Skeleton | The Guts | ||
| Feet | Wings | Eggs | Feathers |
| Beaks or Bills | Touch | Heart and Blood | Lungs and Breath |
| Brain and Nerves | Eyes and Sight | Ears and Hearing | Noses and Smell |
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| These pages are here free for you to use, I would like to keep them that way, however making and running this site, and the other sites I am currently making or have made, on Birds, Mammals, Insects and Fish and Bacteria as well as all the other invertebrates costs money. There are several simple ways you can help. The first is by using the search engine here, that way you make me 2 or 3 cents a time, not a lot but it adds up.
Or you could buy a copy of my recently published book of poetry. It is called Poetry for All the Family, which describes it perfectly. Although I do publish poetry in the specialised poetry magazines the poetry in this book is specifically designed to be enjoyed by people of every age. Follow the link for more information. It is not expensive and should be thoroughly enjoyable, so if you like it please tell people about it, or better still give it to someone as a present for Christmas of a birthday. |
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