Questions About Birds (Class: Aves) Structure, Reproduction, Classification, Evolution
Multiple-Choice Questions: Birds – Structure, Reproduction, Classification, Evolution, and Ecology
STRUCTURE
1. Which unique feature distinguishes birds from all other living vertebrates?
A) Gills
B) Feathers
C) Fur
D) External ears
E) Scales
2. The main function of feathers is to:
A) Store energy
B) Digest food
C) Aid in flight and insulation
D) Detect sound
E) Attract water
3. What type of bones do birds possess to reduce body weight?
A) Marrow-rich bones
B) Cartilaginous bones
C) Hollow (pneumatized) bones
D) Dense bones
E) Crystalline bones
4. Which part of a bird’s body is most modified for flight?
A) Tail
B) Legs
C) Skull
D) Forelimbs (wings)
E) Neck
5. The beak of a bird is adapted to its:
A) Flight speed
B) Nest type
C) Diet
D) Predator type
E) Mating rituals
6. Birds lack which of the following?
A) A heart
B) A stomach
C) A urinary bladder
D) Lungs
E) A brain
7. What is the purpose of the crop in a bird’s digestive system?
A) Producing enzymes
B) Grinding food
C) Temporarily storing food
D) Excreting waste
E) Absorbing nutrients
8. Which organ grinds food in birds, especially in species that eat seeds?
A) Liver
B) Gizzard
C) Cloaca
D) Crop
E) Lung
9. The syrinx is the vocal organ of birds located in the:
A) Mouth
B) Trachea
C) Lungs
D) Stomach
E) Skull
10. Which group of muscles is most developed in flying birds?
A) Leg muscles
B) Neck muscles
C) Wing (pectoral) muscles
D) Tail muscles
E) Jaw muscles
REPRODUCTION
11. Birds reproduce through:
A) Internal fertilization and live birth
B) External fertilization and egg-laying
C) Internal fertilization and egg-laying
D) Cloning
E) Budding
12. Most birds incubate their eggs by:
A) Burying them in sand
B) Using solar heat
C) Sitting on them to warm with body heat
D) Submerging them in water
E) Rolling them in mud
13. Which of the following is a characteristic of altricial chicks?
A) Fully feathered and active at hatching
B) Immediately able to fly
C) Require extensive parental care
D) Lay eggs in water
E) Feed themselves at birth
14. What is the function of the cloaca in birds?
A) Breathing
B) Egg incubation
C) Receiving sound vibrations
D) Common opening for digestive, urinary, and reproductive tracts
E) Regulating temperature
15. The shell of a bird egg is primarily made of:
A) Protein
B) Keratin
C) Chitin
D) Calcium carbonate
E) Silica
CLASSIFICATION
16. Birds belong to which class of animals?
A) Reptilia
B) Amphibia
C) Aves
D) Mammalia
E) Insecta
17. Which of the following is a flightless bird?
A) Swallow
B) Ostrich
C) Falcon
D) Hawk
E) Sparrow
18. Which of the following bird orders includes birds of prey like eagles and hawks?
A) Passeriformes
B) Anseriformes
C) Struthioniformes
D) Accipitriformes
E) Galliformes
19. Songbirds belong to which order?
A) Accipitriformes
B) Passeriformes
C) Psittaciformes
D) Falconiformes
E) Anseriformes
20. Penguins are classified in which group?
A) Galliformes
B) Anseriformes
C) Sphenisciformes
D) Columbiformes
E) Passeriformes
EVOLUTION
21. Birds are most closely related to which group of extinct reptiles?
A) Pterosaurs
B) Plesiosaurs
C) Mosasaurs
D) Theropod dinosaurs
E) Ichthyosaurs
22. The fossil Archaeopteryx is considered important because it:
A) Was the first true reptile
B) Shows both avian and reptilian traits
C) Had three legs
D) Was a flying mammal
E) Was herbivorous
23. Which of the following characteristics supports the dinosaur origin of birds?
A) Presence of hair
B) Gills in embryos
C) Scales on the wings
D) Hollow bones and wishbone
E) External ears
24. Feathers originally evolved for:
A) Flight only
B) Sound production
C) Camouflage and thermoregulation
D) Digestion
E) Walking
25. Which evolutionary advantage do birds have over reptiles?
A) Gills
B) Amniotic egg
C) Endothermy (warm-blooded)
D) Cartilage skeleton
E) Live birth
ECOLOGY
26. Birds that eat nectar are typically characterized by:
A) Strong beaks
B) Wide mouths
C) Long, slender beaks and tongues
D) Sharp claws
E) Gills
27. Birds play an important ecological role as:
A) Decomposers
B) Pollinators, seed dispersers, and predators
C) Parasites only
D) Fossil producers
E) Fermentation agents
28. Which of the following is a migratory behavior in birds?
A) Hibernation
B) Diapause
C) Seasonal long-distance travel
D) Torpor
E) Camouflage
29. What is a keystone bird species that affects ecosystem balance?
A) Penguin
B) Woodpecker
C) Hummingbird
D) Vulture
E) Pigeon
30. Birds help control insect populations by:
A) Pollinating them
B) Avoiding them
C) Preying on them
D) Using their waste
E) Feeding them
31. Deforestation negatively affects birds by:
A) Helping them fly faster
B) Increasing food sources
C) Destroying nesting and feeding habitats
D) Reducing flight height
E) Making shells stronger
32. What is the most important factor for conserving bird biodiversity?
A) Artificial feeding
B) Urbanization
C) Habitat protection
D) Noise reduction
E) Nest collection
33. Which biome supports the highest bird diversity?
A) Desert
B) Arctic tundra
C) Tropical rainforest
D) Savannah
E) Temperate grassland
34. Birds of wetlands often have:
A) Flat beaks and webbed feet
B) Sharp talons
C) Curved claws
D) Long fangs
E) Thick fur
35. Birds that live in urban environments often show:
A) Reduced reproductive success
B) Inability to adapt
C) High mortality
D) Adaptations to noise, pollution, and food sources
E) Complete migration
36. Climate change affects bird migration by:
A) Increasing wing size
B) Shortening beak length
C) Altering timing and routes
D) Making birds aquatic
E) Making feathers fall off
37. Which bird behavior is often used to attract mates?
A) Silence
B) Wing folding
C) Song and dance displays
D) Feather shedding
E) Burrowing
38. Brood parasitism is a reproductive strategy used by birds like:
A) Robins
B) Eagles
C) Cuckoos
D) Owls
E) Pelicans
39. In most bird species, who builds the nest?
A) Only the male
B) Only the female
C) Both sexes or varies by species
D) The chicks
E) No one – birds don’t use nests
40. Raptors such as hawks and owls are especially important because they:
A) Eat only fish
B) Clean oceans
C) Control rodent populations
D) Eat only fruit
E) Help pollinate flowers
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Answer Key with Explanations
1. B) Feathers – Unique to birds among modern animals.
2. C) Aid in flight and insulation – Feathers serve both thermal and aerodynamic roles.
3. C) Hollow (pneumatized) bones – These reduce weight for flight.
4. D) Forelimbs (wings) – Modified into wings for flight.
5. C) Diet – Beaks vary widely based on feeding behavior.
6. C) A urinary bladder – Birds excrete uric acid, conserving water.
7. C) Temporarily storing food – The crop stores food before digestion.
8. B) Gizzard – Grinds tough food, often with swallowed stones.
9. B) Trachea – The syrinx at the base of the trachea produces sound.
10. C) Wing (pectoral) muscles – Power flight by moving the wings.
11. C) Internal fertilization and egg-laying – Birds lay amniotic eggs.
12. C) Sitting on them to warm with body heat – Parental care is common.
13. C) Require extensive parental care – Altricial chicks hatch helpless.
14. D) Common opening for digestive, urinary, and reproductive tracts – Like reptiles.
15. D) Calcium carbonate – Provides hardness and structure to the shell.
16. C) Aves – The taxonomic class for birds.
17. B) Ostrich – A large flightless bird.
18. D) Accipitriformes – Includes eagles, hawks, and vultures.
19. B) Passeriformes – The largest bird order, includes songbirds.
20. C) Sphenisciformes – Order for penguins.
21. D) Theropod dinosaurs – Birds evolved from small theropods.
22. B) Shows both avian and reptilian traits – Archaeopteryx is a transitional fossil.
23. D) Hollow bones and wishbone – Traits shared with theropod dinosaurs.
24. C) Camouflage and thermoregulation – Feathers likely evolved before flight.
25. C) Endothermy (warm-blooded) – A key evolutionary trait in birds.
26. C) Long, slender beaks and tongues – Adapted to reach nectar.
27. B) Pollinators, seed dispersers, and predators – Birds fill many roles.
28. C) Seasonal long-distance travel – Migration is common in many species.
29. D) Vulture – Key in nutrient recycling and disease control.
30. C) Preying on them – Insectivorous birds reduce pest populations.
31. C) Destroying nesting and feeding habitats – Forest loss is a major threat.
32. C) Habitat protection – Most critical for bird conservation.
33. C) Tropical rainforest – Supports the richest avian diversity.
34. A) Flat beaks and webbed feet – Adaptations for feeding and swimming.
35. D) Adaptations to noise, pollution, and food sources – Urban birds adjust well.
36. C) Altering timing and routes – Disrupts traditional migration patterns.
37. C) Song and dance displays – Used in mate attraction.
38. C) Cuckoos – Lay eggs in the nests of other species.
39. C) Both sexes or varies by species – Nesting roles differ widely.
40. C) Control rodent populations – Key predators in many ecosystems.
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