The Bird Anatomy ClipArt gallery offers 411 illustrations of skeleton diagrams, arteries, digestive system, eggs, feathers, and both internal and external diagrams.

An illustration of the "ailmentary canal of Bluebird, reduced; after Audobon. a,b, gullet or oesophagus; c, proventriculus; d, gizzard; e, f, h, intestine; i, cloaca" (Forbush, 1907).

Ailmentary Canal of Bluebird

An illustration of the "ailmentary canal of Bluebird, reduced; after Audobon. a,b, gullet or oesophagus;…

"Diomedea brachyura. Short-tailed Albatross. Bill 5.00 or 6.00 inches long, with long, with moderately concave culmen and prominent hook. Frontal feathers forming almost no reentrance on culmen, running nearly straight around whole base of upper mandible, and extending scarcely farther on sides of under mandible, with hardly any convexity. Tail very short, contained rather more than 3 times in length of wing. Adult plumage white, the head and neck usually washed with shining rusty-yellow; wings and tail dark or blackish, with a wholly indeterminate amount of white on the coverts and inner quills - sometimes nearly all the wing-coverts white excepting a line along the border of the fore-arm - sometimes the white restricted to a small space at the elbow. Bill pale reddish-yellow, drying pale dingy-yellowish; feet flesh-color." Elliot Coues, 1884

Bill and Foot of a Short-tailed Albatross

"Diomedea brachyura. Short-tailed Albatross. Bill 5.00 or 6.00 inches long, with long, with moderately…

Left wing of the albatross.

Left Wing of Albatross

Left wing of the albatross.

Alimentary canal of a bird. Labels: a, ingluvies; b, proventriculus; c, pancreas; d, duodenum; e, liver; f, biliary cyst and duct; g, pancreatic duct; h, intestice; i, the to caeca; k, rectum; l, right ureter; m, oviduct; n, its aperture in cloaca; o, opening of cloaca.

Alimentary Canal of a Bird

Alimentary canal of a bird. Labels: a, ingluvies; b, proventriculus; c, pancreas; d, duodenum; e, liver;…

Birds usually have three cavities or stomachs. Labels: 1, The esophagus. 2, Ingluvies (crop). 2, Proventriculus (secreting stomach). 4. Triturating stomach (gizzard). 5, Intestine. 6, Two caeca.

The Alimentary Canal of a Fowl

Birds usually have three cavities or stomachs. Labels: 1, The esophagus. 2, Ingluvies (crop). 2, Proventriculus…

"The winglet bastard wing, or ala spuria of a bird."-Whitney, 1902

Alula

"The winglet bastard wing, or ala spuria of a bird."-Whitney, 1902

"h, root of aorta; 1, arch of aorta, to the right side; li, left innominate; ri, innominate; ls, left subclavian; rs, right subclavian; lc, left carotid; rc, right carotid. Aves bicarotidinae normales, with two carotids, both alike." Elliot Coues, 1884

Carotid Arteries of Birds

"h, root of aorta; 1, arch of aorta, to the right side; li, left innominate; ri, innominate; ls, left…

"h, root of aorta; 1, arch of aorta, to the right side; li, left innominate; ri, innominate; ls, left subclavian; rs, right subclavian; lc, left carotid; rc, right carotid. Aves laevo-carotidinae, with left carotid only." Elliot Coues, 1884

Carotid Arteries of Birds

"h, root of aorta; 1, arch of aorta, to the right side; li, left innominate; ri, innominate; ls, left…

"h, root of aorta; 1, arch of aorta, to the right side; li, left innominate; ri, innominate; ls, left subclavian; rs, right subclavian; lc, left carotid; rc, right carotid. Aves bicarotidinae abnormalis, certail parrots, with two carotids, not alike." Elliot Coues, 1884

Carotid Arteries of Birds

"h, root of aorta; 1, arch of aorta, to the right side; li, left innominate; ri, innominate; ls, left…

"h, root of aorta; 1, arch of aorta, to the right side; li, left innominate; ri, innominate; ls, left subclavian; rs, right subclavian; lc, left carotid; rc, right carotid. Aves conjuncto-carotidinae, with two carotids, which speedily unite in one.Bittern, both alike." Elliot Coues, 1884

Carotid Arteries of Birds

"h, root of aorta; 1, arch of aorta, to the right side; li, left innominate; ri, innominate; ls, left…

"h, root of aorta; 1, arch of aorta, to the right side; li, left innominate; ri, innominate; ls, left subclavian; rs, right subclavian; lc, left carotid; rc, right carotid. Aves conjuncto-carotidinae, with two carotids, which speedily unite in one. Flamingo, left very small" Elliot Coues, 1884

Carotid Arteries of Birds

"h, root of aorta; 1, arch of aorta, to the right side; li, left innominate; ri, innominate; ls, left…

"h, root of aorta; 1, arch of aorta, to the right side; li, left innominate; ri, innominate; ls, left subclavian; rs, right subclavian; lc, left carotid; rc, right carotid. Aves conjuncto-carotidinae, with two carotids, which speedily unite in one. Cockatoo, right very small." Elliot Coues, 1884

Carotid Arteries of Birds

"h, root of aorta; 1, arch of aorta, to the right side; li, left innominate; ri, innominate; ls, left…

"Simorhynchus pusillus. Least Auk. Knob-nosed Auk. Bill small and simple. but stout for its length, scarcely higher than wide at base, rather obtuse at tip. A small knob or tubercle at the base of the culmen, which is deciduous." Elliot Coues, 1884

Least Auk Adult

"Simorhynchus pusillus. Least Auk. Knob-nosed Auk. Bill small and simple. but stout for its length,…

"Simorhynchus pusillus. Least Auk. Knob-nosed Auk. Bill small and simple. but stout for its length, scarcely higher than wide at base, rather obtuse at tip." Elliot Coues, 1884

Least Auk Adult

"Simorhynchus pusillus. Least Auk. Knob-nosed Auk. Bill small and simple. but stout for its length,…

"Simorhynchus cristatellus. Crested Auk. Snub-nosed Auk. Bill fundamentally small and simple, compressed-conic, with convex culmen and little sinuate horizontal commissure; but in the breeding season developing several corneous appendages, which alter its shape greatly, make it singularly irregular, and modify even the outline of the feathers at its base. These accessory pieces are: a nasal plate, filling the nasal fossa, separate from its fellow of the opposite side; a subnasal strip prolonged on the cutting edge of the upper mandibles backwards from the nostrils; a rosette-like plate at base of upper mandible just over angle of the mouth; a large shoe encasing the posterior part of the under mandible; the latter single, the other three pieces in pairs, making seven in all which are moulted; all these elements vermilion or coral-red; end of the bill enamel-yellow. (Before acquiring these growths the young bird is tetraculus of authors; the adult in winter, after shedding the, is dubius.)" Elliot Coues, 1884

Crested Auk in Summer

"Simorhynchus cristatellus. Crested Auk. Snub-nosed Auk. Bill fundamentally small and simple, compressed-conic,…

"Simorhynchus cristatellus. Crested Auk. Snub-nosed Auk. A beautiful crest of 12-20 slender feathers springing from the forehead, curling over forward in arc of a circle to fall gracefully upon the bill; this helmet is blackish; at full length about 2 inches long; the feathers are not filamentous, but have well formed webs, and are bundled or impacted together, owning to the oblique divergence of the webs from the shaft, as in the genus Laphortyx. A slender series of white filamentous feathers over and behind each eye, drooping downwards and backwards." Elliot Coues, 1884

Crested Auk in Winter

"Simorhynchus cristatellus. Crested Auk. Snub-nosed Auk. A beautiful crest of 12-20 slender feathers…

"Another small family, characterized by the extreme length of the slender legs, and the extreme slenderness of the long acute bill, which is either straight or curved upward. Recurvirostra is a 4-toed, and full-webbed; the bill is decidedly recurved, flattened, and tapers to a needle-like point; the body is depressed; the plumage underneath is thickened as in water-birds. The species swim well. Himantopus is 3 toes, semipalmate, the bill nearly straight, and not flattened; in relative length of leg it is probably not surpassed by any bird whatsoever. " Elliot Coues, 1884

Avocets Head and Foot

"Another small family, characterized by the extreme length of the slender legs, and the extreme slenderness…

The head of the bald eagle.

Bald Eagle Head

The head of the bald eagle.

"The arrangement shown in fig. 22, where a, a, a, a, are four barbs in transverse section, viewed from the cut surfaces, with their anterior, b, b, b, b, and posterior, c, c, c, c, barbules, the former bearing the hooklets which catch over the edge of the latter." Elliot Coues, 1884

Barbs

"The arrangement shown in fig. 22, where a, a, a, a, are four barbs in transverse section, viewed from…

"Fig. 21. -A single barbule, baring barbicels and hooklets; magnified; after Nitzsch. ...barbicels (another dimin. of barba), also called cilia, or lashes (fig. 21); and hamuli, or hooklets (Lat. hamulus, a little hook; fig 21). These are simply a sort of fringe to the barbules, just as if the lower edge of the barbules were frayed out, and only differ from each other in that barbicels are plain hair like processes, while hamuli are hooked at the end; they are not found on all feathers, nor on all parts of some feathers." Elliot Coues, 1884

Single Barbule

"Fig. 21. -A single barbule, baring barbicels and hooklets; magnified; after Nitzsch. ...barbicels (another…

The bill or nib of a bird, turtle, etc.

Beak

The bill or nib of a bird, turtle, etc.

The beak of a bird.

Bird Beak

The beak of a bird.

Beak of Buzzard.

Buzzard Beak

Beak of Buzzard.

Beak of Hawfinch.

Hawfinch Beak

Beak of Hawfinch.

Beak of Hummingbird.

Hummingbird Beak

Beak of Hummingbird.

Beak of Tawny Owl.

Owl Beak

Beak of Tawny Owl.

Beak of Shrike.

Shrike Beak

Beak of Shrike.

Beak of Swift.

Swift Beak

Beak of Swift.

"Speotyto. Burrowing Owls. tarsi long, about twice as long as the middle toe without its claw, very scant-feathered in front, bare behind; toes bristly. The long slim legs are quite peculiar.

The Beaks and Claws of a Burrowing Owl

"Speotyto. Burrowing Owls. tarsi long, about twice as long as the middle toe without its claw, very…

The beak of a fowl.

Bill

The beak of a fowl.

Bill of Goat-sucker (Insect-eating bird).

Bill

Bill of Goat-sucker (Insect-eating bird).

Aerial (top) view of Barn Swallow's bill"Hirundo horreorum. Barn Swallow. Bill of moderate size for this family, of the usual shape, with straight commissure; nostrils lateral overarched by a membranous scale." Elliot Coues, 1884

Barn Swallow Bill

Aerial (top) view of Barn Swallow's bill "Hirundo horreorum. Barn Swallow. Bill of moderate size for…

The bill of the Gadwall Duck, showing the comb-like 'teeth' that they are known for.

Bill of Gadwall

The bill of the Gadwall Duck, showing the comb-like 'teeth' that they are known for.

"Icterus. Orioles. Bill averaging as long as head (more or less); very acute, sometimes decurved." Elliot Coues, 1884

Oriole Bill

"Icterus. Orioles. Bill averaging as long as head (more or less); very acute, sometimes decurved." Elliot…

"North American White Pelican. Bill and feet ordinarily yellow; much reddened in the breeding season, when the general tone of the bill is reddish salmon color, the under mandible brighter than the upper, which has the ridge whitish; pouch passing from livid whitish anteriorly through yellow and orange to red at base. Bill a foot or more." Elliot Coues

Pelican Bill

"North American White Pelican. Bill and feet ordinarily yellow; much reddened in the breeding season,…

External features of a bird.

Bird

External features of a bird.

Arteries of the trunk of a bird. 1: The aorta. 2: The vena cava. 3: A cerebral artery. The small lines on each side represent the arteries and veins of the lungs.

Bird Arteries

Arteries of the trunk of a bird. 1: The aorta. 2: The vena cava. 3: A cerebral artery. The small lines…

"Fig. 26 - Parts of a Bill. a, side of upper mandible; b, culmen; c, nasal fossa; d, nostril; e(see below); f, gape, or whole commissural line; g, rictus; h, commissural point or angle of the mouth; i, ramus of under jaw; j, tomia of under mandible (the reference lines e should have been drawn to indicate the correct tomia of upper mandible):k, angle of gonys; l, gonys; m, side of under mandible; n, tips of mandibles." Elliot Coues, 1884

The Parts of a Bird Bill

"Fig. 26 - Parts of a Bill. a, side of upper mandible; b, culmen; c, nasal fossa; d, nostril; e(see…

"Fig. Typical passerine feet. The right hand fig. is plectrophanes lapponicus." Elliot Coues, 1884

Typical Passerine Bird Feet

"Fig. Typical passerine feet. The right hand fig. is plectrophanes lapponicus." Elliot Coues, 1884

"Diagram of the female genital organs of a Bird. c, cloaca; i, intestine; k, kidney; o, ovary with ova of different size; od., oviduct; o.f., funnel of the oviduct; o.o., opening of the oviduct into the cloaca; u, ureter; u.o., opening of ureter into the cloaca. Only one ovary and oviduct are fully developed in the Birds." -Galloway, 1915

Female Bird Genital Organs

"Diagram of the female genital organs of a Bird. c, cloaca; i, intestine; k, kidney; o, ovary with ova…

"Diagram of the urino-genital organs of a male Bird. ad., adrenal body; c, cloaca; i, intestine; k, kidney; t, testis; u, ureter; u.o., opening of ureter into the cloaca; v.d., vas deferens; v.d.o., opening of the vas deferens; v.s., vesicula seminalis." -Galloway, 1915

Male Bird Genital Organs

"Diagram of the urino-genital organs of a male Bird. ad., adrenal body; c, cloaca; i, intestine; k,…

"Fore-limb and hind-limb compared. H., Humerus; R., radius; U., ulna; r., radiale; u., ulnare; C., distal carpals united to carpo-metacarpus; CC., the whole carpal region; MC.I., metacarpal of the thumb; I., phalanx of the thumb; MC.II., second metacarpus; II., second digit; MC.III., third metacarpus; III., third digit. F., femur; T.T., tibio-tarsus; Fi., fibula; Pt., proximal tarsals united to lower end of tibia; dt., distal tarsals nited to upper end of tarso-metatarsus (T.MT.); T., entire tarsal region; MT.I., first metatarsal, free; I.-IV., toes." -Thomson, 1916

Bird Limbs

"Fore-limb and hind-limb compared. H., Humerus; R., radius; U., ulna; r., radiale; u., ulnare; C., distal…

"1. Lower mandible. 2. Upper mandible. 3. Forehead. 4. Loral space. 5. Crown of the head. 6. Hind part of the head. 7. Scapulars--long feathers frm shoulders over sides of back. 8. Smaller wing coverts. 9. Bend of the wing. 10. Larger wing coverts. 11. Tertials, arising from the second bone of the wing at the elbow-joint. 12. Secondaries, from the second bone of the wing. 13. Primaries, from the first bone of the wing. 14. Tibia, the thigh. 15. Tarsus, the shank. 16. Upper tail coverts. 17. Lower tail coverts. 18. Tail feathers." -Roosevelt, 1884

Bird Parts

"1. Lower mandible. 2. Upper mandible. 3. Forehead. 4. Loral space. 5. Crown of the head. 6. Hind part…

"Right shoulder-girdle or scapular arch of fowl, showing hp, the hypoclidium; f, furculum; Co, coracoid; Sc, scapula; gl, glenoid." -Whitney, 1911

Bird Scapula

"Right shoulder-girdle or scapular arch of fowl, showing hp, the hypoclidium; f, furculum; Co, coracoid;…

"Diagrammatic section of young bird. n., Spinal cord; v., vertebra; r., rib; L., liver; G., gut; som. (dotted), somatic layer of mesoblast; spl. (dotted), splanchnic layer of mesoblast; ao., aorta; R., reproductive organ; K., kidney." -Thomson, 1916

Bird Section

"Diagrammatic section of young bird. n., Spinal cord; v., vertebra; r., rib; L., liver; G., gut; som.…

Skeleton of a bird. 1: The head. 2: Cervical Vertebrae. 3: Dorsal and lumbar vertebrae. 4: Scapula. 5: Clavicle. 6: Coracoid bone. 7: Sternum. 8: Humerus. 9: Radius. 10: Ulna. 11: Carpus. 12: Metacarpus. 13: Phalanges (fingers). 14: Femur. 15: Tibia. 16: Fibula. 17: Tarsus. 18: Metatarsus. 19: Phalanges (toes).

Bird Skeleton

Skeleton of a bird. 1: The head. 2: Cervical Vertebrae. 3: Dorsal and lumbar vertebrae. 4: Scapula.…

"Disarticulation of bird's skull. Membrane bones shaded. B.Oc., basioccipital; E.Oc., exoccipital; S.Oc., supraoccipital; Pa., parietal; Fr., frontal; Na., nasal; pm., premaxilla; M., maxilla; Ju., jugal; Qj., quadrato-jugal; Qu., quadrate; pe., periotic; Sq., squamosal; AS., alisphenoid; B.S., basisphenoid; O.S., orbito-sphenoid; Pr.Sph., presphenoid; vo., vomer; iOS., interorbitalk septum; E., ethmoid; Se., nasal septum; De., dentary; Sp., splenial; An., angular; Ar., articular; MK., Meckel's cartilage." -Thomson, 1916

Bird Skull Disarticulation

"Disarticulation of bird's skull. Membrane bones shaded. B.Oc., basioccipital; E.Oc., exoccipital; S.Oc.,…

"fig. 25 - Topography of a Bird. 1, forehead (frons). 2, lore. 3, circumocular region. 4, crown (vertex). 5, eye. 6, hind head (occiput). 7, nape (nucha). 8, hind neck (cervix). 9, side of neck. 10, interscapular region. 11, dorsum, or back proper, including 10. 12, notaeum, or upper part of body proper, including 10, 11, and 13. 13, rump (uropygium). 14, upper tail-coverts. 15, tail. 16, under tail-coverts (crissum). 17, tarsus. 18, abdomen. 19, hind toe (hallux). 20, gastraeum, including 18 and 24. 21, outer and fourth toe. 22, middle and third toe. 23, side of the body. 24, breast (pectus). 25, primaries. 26, secondaries. 27, tertiaries; nos. 25, 26, 27 are all coverts. 28, primary coverts. 29, alula, or bastard wing. 30, greater coverts. 31, median coverts. 32, lesser coverts. 33, the "throat," including 34, 37, 38. 34, jugulum or lower throat. 35, auriculars. 36, malar region. 37, gula, or middle throat. 38, mentum, or chin. 39, angle of commissure, or corner of mouth. 40, ramus of under mandible. 41, side of under mandible. 42, gonys. 43, apex, or tip of bill. 44, tomia, or cutting edges of the bill. 45, culmen, or ridge of upper mandible, corresponding to gonys. 46, side of upper mandible. 47, nostril. 48, passes across the bill a little in front of it base." Elliot Coues, 1884

Topography of a Bird

"fig. 25 - Topography of a Bird. 1, forehead (frons). 2, lore. 3, circumocular region. 4, crown (vertex).…

A wing of a bird.

Bird Wing

A wing of a bird.

There are two types of classification, homology and analogy. Homology is the fundamental identity of structure, as distinguished from analogy, which incidental resemblance in form or function. Bird wing showing homolog and analogy

Bird Wing

There are two types of classification, homology and analogy. Homology is the fundamental identity of…

"When a new bird is seen, the observer should write an accurate description of it in his notebook, giving the length from the tip of the bill to the end of the tail; the color of the crown and sides of the head, back, wings, tail, breast, and belly; length, shape, and color of the bill; length, position and arrangement of the tail feathers; and the method of feeding and manner of flight as well as its characteristic song." — Davison, 1906

Labeled bird

"When a new bird is seen, the observer should write an accurate description of it in his notebook, giving…

This illustration shows the leg of a bird.
P. Pelvis, FE. Femur, TI. Tibia, FI. Fibula, TA. Tarsus, MT. Metatarsus, PH. Phalanges, OC. Os Calcis.

Leg of Bird

This illustration shows the leg of a bird. P. Pelvis, FE. Femur, TI. Tibia, FI. Fibula, TA. Tarsus,…

The stomach of a grain-eating bird, which has a gizzard that functions to crush the seeds to pieces since birds have no teeth to crush their food. It has on its inside two hard surfaces which rub and press against each other by muscles to grind food. At <em>b</em> is the gizzard cut open, showing two hard grinding surfaces, and at <em> a </em> above is the part from which oozes the gastric juice.

Stomach of a Bird

The stomach of a grain-eating bird, which has a gizzard that functions to crush the seeds to pieces…

The skeleton of a bird.

The Skeleton of a Bird

The skeleton of a bird.

"Shows how the bones of the arm (a), forearm (b), and hand (c), are twisted, and form a conical screw."&mdash;Pettigrew, 1874

Wing of Bird

"Shows how the bones of the arm (a), forearm (b), and hand (c), are twisted, and form a conical screw."—Pettigrew,…

"Footprints resembling those birds are found on red argillaceous sandstones in the valley of Connecticut river, North America. These sandstones, though long considered of a much older date, were referred by the brothers Rogers to the oolitic period." &mdash; Chambers, 1881

Bird-Tracks

"Footprints resembling those birds are found on red argillaceous sandstones in the valley of Connecticut…

"The senses of touch, smell, taste and hearing are very slightly developed in birds. The organ of sight is indeed more highly developed in birds than in any other class of animals."

Internal Anatomy of Birds

"The senses of touch, smell, taste and hearing are very slightly developed in birds. The organ of sight…

"Botaurus. Bittern. Bill moderately longer than head, shorter than tarsus, which is shorter than middle toe and claw." Elliot Coues, 1884

The Bill of a Bittern

"Botaurus. Bittern. Bill moderately longer than head, shorter than tarsus, which is shorter than middle…

Vertical section of blastoderm of chick (1st day of incubation). S, epiblast consisting of short columnar cells; D, hypoblast, consisting of a single layer of flattened cells; M, formative cells." They are seen on the right of the figure, passing in between the epiblast and hypoblast to form the mesoblast; A, white yolk granules. Many of the large "formative cells" are seen containing these granules.

Blastoderm of a Chick

Vertical section of blastoderm of chick (1st day of incubation). S, epiblast consisting of short columnar…

"Scutellate. Foot of bluebird, with laminiplantar and mostly booted tarsus and of the toes." -Whitney, 1911

Bluebird Foot

"Scutellate. Foot of bluebird, with laminiplantar and mostly booted tarsus and of the toes." -Whitney,…