Keratinous beaks in Confuciusornithiform Birds.
[sciencythoughts.blogspot.com]
The beaked rostrum is one of the most distinctive features of Birds, present in all living species and exhibiting an enormous diversity of form and size relative to the body. Although this morphological diversity is commonly associated with various feeding strategies, the actual relationship between shape and function is far more complex. In some extant Birds the rhamphotheca, the keratinous sheath that covers the edentulous bony rostrum and together form the beak, forms specialised structures such as filters (e.g. Flamingos) and 'teeth' (e.g. Mergansers) that facilitate certain feeding behaviors. In addition to its primary role in feeding, the beak has evolved a myriad of other functions including sound production (e.g. billclattering/culmen knocking in Storks), warfare (e.g., Toucans, Long-billed Hermit Hummingbirds), thermoregulation (e.g. Toucans), and inter and intraspecific signaling (e.g. Toucans, American Goldfinches, King Penguins). The keratinous beak is a dynamic feature, it grows continuously as it is also constantly worn away through use and can change in size, shape, and colour in response to seasonal differences in functional requirements.
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Didn't knew they continued to grow .
Cast1es
Level 9
Dec 15, 2020
0
The same material as hair and fingernails.
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