Re: birds scales

[ornstn@inforamp.net (Ronald Orenstein)]

>>but there is no hair on birds
>
>There are hairs on birds.  My blue and gold macaw has hairs around his 
>nostils and my budgies have eye lashes.  So does my cockatiel and 
>cockatoo.   Hey if you can't have pet dinosaurs this is the closest 
>thing.  Especially my big blue and gold.  My scarlet has hairs on it's 
>white cheek patches.  My blue and gold also has eye lashes.  
>
>                          Bite Is Might
>
>                            Raptor
These are hairlike feathers, not hairs in the mammalian sense - ie they are
not homologous to mammalian hairs.  Functionally and in appearance they are
hairs but phylogenetically they are not (if by hair we mean, in this
context, mammalian hair).
--
Ronald I. Orenstein                           Phone: (905) 820-7886 (home)
International Wildlife Coalition              Fax/Modem: (905) 569-0116 (home)
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