Do you want to learn about bird skull?
In this article I am going to discuss on bird skull anatomy. I will also provide bird skull bone identification diagram.
You will get little information from bird skeleton labeled anatomy. After reading this article you will able to learn anatomy of bird skull bones. You may also learn about bird skeletal system at here.
I have a special gift for you – bird skeleton drawing at the end of the article.
If you have interest to learn bird skull bones anatomy then please continue this article. Okay, let’s learn real bird skull anatomy together.
Bird skull
Bird has one of the most highly specialized skulls among the living vertebrate. I have discussed on the amazing information of bird bones at avian osteology article.
You may read this article to learn bird skeletal system.
You know avian skeletons shows lightness and straight. And these occurred due to the fusion of cranium and pelvic bones in bird.
You will find highly specialized characteristics in real bird skull bones. I would like to provide the 5+ best amazing information about the bird skull anatomy –
#1. Most of the skull bones are fused. There is little number of original sutures in the skull bones. But in embryo you may find some real sutures in the skull bones.
#2. You will find pneumatic bones in birds. The pneumatization of skull bones may occur. This is occurred by the epithelial extensions of air sac into many areas in real bird skull bones. These pneumatizations help to produce a great lightened structure of head bones.
#3. Skull is kinetic where the upper jaw is movable. Upper jaw is articulates with brain cage with a moveable joint. This moveable joint is termed as nasal frontal hinge
#4. Bird having exceptionally larger eye
#5. There is a larger orbital cavity in the skull of birds. The orbit is separated by interorbital septum.
#6. You will find a boney skeleton in eyeball of bird. This is actually known as the sclerotic ring in eye. This is actually a series of overlapping boney plates. These boney plates help to form a ring in the sclera of bird eye.
Bird skull identification
Do you want to perform bird skull identification? You should identify the following structures from real bird skull –
#1. Upper jaw of bird
#2. Orbital cavity of bird
#3. Inter-orbital septum
#4. Lateral optic foramen of bird
#5. Eyeball and sclerotic ring
#6. Lacrimal bones
#7. Ectethmoid bone in skull
#8. External nares or holorhinal
#9. Maxillary process of nasal bone
#10. Jugal bone of bird
#11. Zygomatic arch of bird
#12. Median supraoccipital of bird
#13. Exoccipital bone of bird
#14. Basioccipital bone of bird
#15. Occipital condyle of bird
I will add some other anatomical feature of real bird skull in future.
Bird skull anatomy
You know there is a larger orbit in the bird skull bones. You will find a larger optic foramen at the caudal border of inter orbital septum of bird bone.
The caudal wall of orbit is derived from the several sphenoid elements. These sphenoid elements are fused and inseparable in adult bird.
The lacrimal bone located at the rostal margin of orbit. It articulates primarily with the lateral rami of nasal bone. This lacrimal bone is also articulates to the lesser degree with frontals bone.
In lacrimal and ectethmoid bones from bird, you may find the followings conditions –
#1. Separate lacrimal and ectethmoid bones or
#2. A single lacrimal bone or
#3. One or both bone may fused with other elements
In chicken both bones lacrimal and ectethmoid are present. But ectethmoid bone is so small and fragile in chicken.
In most anatids birds the ectethmoid bone are absent. But the lacrimal bones are well developed in anatids birds.
The external nares of duck, geese and chicken are known as holorhinal. This structure never extends caudal to nasal frontal hinge.
The lateral rami of nasal bones meet with the maxillae bone ventrally in bird. It gives the thin road like jugul bone that helps to form rostal part of zygomatic arch.
The caudal part of skull bone of bird formed by numbers of fused bone. You will find parietal bone at caudal part of bird skull. A single median supraoccipital bone will find at the caudal part of parietal bone in bird. This supraoccipital bone forms the dorsal border of foramen magnum.
Foramen magnum of bird is also bordered by paired exoccipital bone laterally. Ventrally it is supported by the basioccipital bone.
Bird skull drawing
Please try to draw the skull bones of birds and identify them.
Bird skeletal system
You may learn more about bird skeletal system from this blog. You will learn the followings from avain osteology section –
#1. Anatomical features of bird bones
#2. Characteristics of pneumatic bones in birds
#3. Bird wing skeleton anatomy
#4. Identification from bird skeleton labeled anatomy
#5. Bird wing anatomy bones
#6. Bird skeleton drawing
You may learn the anatomy of following organs from avian anatomy section –
#1. Anatomical features of bird urinary organs
#2. Anatomical features of bird genital organs
#3. Amazing anatomical features of bird endocrine glands
#4. Anatomical features of heart and blood vessels of birds
Conclusion
Hope you got a better idea about bird skull anatomy. Please watch the video carefully and learn from bird skeleton labeled images
You may practice again and perform real bird anatomy diagram. Please let me inform if you need birds skull identification pdf.
Do you think this article was valuable for you to know anatomy of avian skull? I would like to request you to share this article with your friends who are interest to learn avian skull anatomy.
I used to publish article like anatomy of skull bones in a regular basis. Do you want to know more about bird bones? You may follow this blog to learn owl skull anatomy. For quick update about skull bones of birds pictures please follow this anatomylearner at social media.
Could you please make difference of bird vs anatomy of ox skull?
Do you think this information is enough about bird skull anatomy? If you have any suggestion about bird wing skeleton anatomy then I would like to request you to inform me at comment box. Do you found any mistake at birds skull drawing? Please let me inform through direct message. I will appreciate your suggestion for this anatomy of real bird skull article
