ObjectivesThis course endeavours to develop an enhanced appreciation of birds through increasing knowledge. The student should also develop a fuller appreciation of the diversity of bird life.
Course description
Assessment takes the form of question papers and directed report writing. The reports are designed to test the student’s ability to understand the modules as a whole. The question papers are designed to test the student's understanding of the individual concepts within the lessons. The reports (3 in total) represent 70% of the total mark, the questions papers (12 in total) representing the remaining 30%.
Lesson One
To enable the student to understand the technique of thermal soaring, its relevance to the lifestyles of certain birds, and to appreciate the types of birds that might utilise the technique
To demonstrate to the student what environmental factors are required for thermal soaring to occur
To explore the phenomena of slope soaring and the environmental factors required for it to occur
To develop within the student, an understanding of dynamic soaring and an appreciation of the importance this has to seabird life
To enable the student to understand the selection pressures behind feather development
To introduce the student to basic wing structure
To develop within the student an understanding of the ‘aspect ratio’ and how it can relate to lifestyle
To enable the student to understand the role of brood patch’s, and the relevance of feathers in insulation
To introduce the student to the component types of avian muscle and their relevance to lifestyle
Lesson Two
To enable the student to understand the principles behind binocular and monocular vision
To demonstrate to the student the requirements of predatory and prey birds in respect to monocular and binocular vision
To enable the student to understand the anatomical differences between mammalian and avian eyes
To introduce the student to the role of the pecten and the nictitating membrane in avian vision
To develop an appreciation of the adaptations that have enabled owls to sense prey nocturnally
To enable the student to appreciate the role of the elongated fovea in certain aspects of seabird navigation
Lesson Three
The student will be introduced to ‘Bernoulli’s Principle as applied to avian flight and wing structure
To enable the student to appreciate how some engineering principles did not necessarily apply to birds
To an appreciation of the technique of ‘clapping’ in order to initiate flight
To understand the presence of the two types of vortices in avian flight and their relevance to different to different flight speeds.
Lesson Four
To enable the student to understand the term instinct
To demonstrate to the student the terms social releaser and sign stimuli in relation to instinct
To develop an understanding of associative and none associative learning
To enable the student to appreciate the roles of filial and sexual imprinting in regards to avian survival
To create awareness as to the role of cultural behaviour in the avian class
To enable the student to appreciate the relevance of imitation in bird song
To develop an understanding of how play can be important to more intelligent bird species
Lesson Five
To enable the student to understand the role of Archeopteryx in the development of the evolutionary theories
To demonstrate to the student the selection pressures that gave rise to feather development
To development an understanding of the biological time scales involved with speciation
To enable the student to understand the role of speciation in creating diversity on earth
To enable the student to understand the key feature of avian classification and binomial nomenclature
Lesson Six
To appreciate the components of conservation, and how they help in developing an approach to conservation problems.
To understand the consequences and reasons behind direct persecution.
To appreciate the challenges facing the conservation of the golden eagle.
To appreciate the reasons behind indirect persecution.
To understand how the approach’s to indirect persecution that are developing
To understand the relevance of pesticide usage in the realm of avian conservation.
To understand (with historical examples) how the Aves that inhabit the higher realms of the food chain are particularly effected by pesticide pollution.
To appreciate how DDT has taken such a marked effect on certain avian populations.
To understand how habitat destruction can effect conservation.
To understand the basic principles behind the different approach’s of autoecology and synecology.
Lesson Seven
To appreciate the basic categories of hunting techniques utilised by the raptors.
To understand how the peregrine falcon utilises speed and power in its hunting.
To appreciate ambush strategy with reference to the sparrowhawks techniques.
To understand the strategies involved in hovering as a hunting technique and how tail length can reflect the development of such techniques.
To appreciate low level attack as a form of hunting.
To understand how birds use different techniques and adaptations in hunting snakes and fish.
To appreciate the adaptations (anatomically and behaviourally) of the vultures for soaring and eating.
Lesson Eight
To appreciate the three broad categories of wildfowl and seabird feeders?
To understand the reasons and principles behind surface feeding
To appreciate the different feeding methods used in the surface feeders at sea.
To understand the differing feeding depths and consequential co-existence of the underwater feeders.
To appreciate the skills and techniques of the wildfowl divers.
To understand the techniques used in the marine divers.
To appreciate the skills and adaptations required in the varying types of feeding.
To appreciate the foraging techniques of the land feeders.
To understand the principles of social facilitation and local enhancement, and their place in avian feeding.
Lesson Nine
To understand the term sexual selection and recognise how it can impact upon bird populations
To understand gamete production and the differences between sex’s.
To appreciate dimorphism as a consequence of sexual selection.
To understand Intersexual rivalry and the theories behind the phenomena
To appreciate bird song as a means of mate selection.
To appreciate the relevance of flight displays in courtship.
Lesson Ten
To appreciate the four primary methods used in avian navigation.
To understand the relevance of magnetic sense and the experiments that aided its discovery.
To appreciate the limitations of using the earth’s magnetic field as a navigational aid.
To understand the principles of sun navigation, and intention movement.
To appreciate the development and use of the star compass in avian migration.
To understand the importance of landmark navigation in the birds.
Lesson Eleven
To understand polygamy and the subheadings of polygyny and polyandry.
To understand the term monogamy and appreciate the circumstances underwhich it becomes the most viable method of reproduction.
To appreciate that co-operative breeding occurs and to appreciate why some birds have helpers at the nest, and some exhibit communal nesting.
To understand the phenomena of brood parasitism and egg recognition.
Lesson Twelve
To understand that animals are influenced by rhythmic indicators.
To appreciate the circadian rhythm as an influential marker of the seasons.
To understand that differing levels of the hormone melatonin can influence reproductive behaviour.
To understand that birds are often long day breeders, and appreciate what this means.
To understand the presence of a circannual rhythm in birds and appreciate its place in avian lifestyle.
To understand the pineal gland as an integral part of the reproductive process.
To appreciate the term zietgeber and understand its relevance.