Page 40 - Hand rearing birds second

22 Hand-Rearing Birds

Skin Color
For some species, true skin color in chicks can be difficult to assess because the skin is transparent,
letting underlying tissues affect the color’s appearance. As a result, skin color is not always a reliable
identification feature. Most altricial nestlings hatch with a pinkish appearance that darkens even
within the day. However, a few species appear to have yellowish‐orange skin (as in some thrushes) or
reddish skin (as in some blackbirds). Within columbids, the Mourning Dove hatches with blackish‐
gray skin while the Rock Pigeon has pink skin. Hatchling cuckoos and roadrunners have black skin.

Feet
Table 2.1 presents foot topography, which is very helpful in determining species identity. A bird’s
feet, considered by most biologists to be the portion of the legs that includes the tarsometatarsus (or
tarsus) and toes, are covered variously with feathers or scales or are smooth (booted) without scales
or plates. The pattern of skin or scales and presence of feathers on the feet, as well as shape of the
tarsus, can place a bird in a particular family. We do not provide a comprehensive listing of the vari-
ous definitions and descriptions of these coverings; some, however, are presented in the tables.

Table 2.1 Types of foot topography.

Type Description Typical Birds
Anisodactyl Three toes pointed forward, Most common arrangement. Herons,
one toe (hallux) pointed back. egrets, quail, turkey, pheasant, nighthawks,
ibis, storks, guineafowl, pigeons and doves,
vultures, spoonbill, falcons, and all
passerines.
Sharp, decurved talons. Accipitridae family of raptors.
Zygodactyl Two toes pointed forward, two Woodpeckers (except three‐toed and
toes pointed back. 4th toe black‐backed), cuckoos, roadrunners, most
permanently reversed. parrots.
4th toe reversible. Same as above, Owls, Osprey, turacos.
toes can rotate to look like x
or + shape.
Pamprodactyl Hallux can rotate forward so all Swifts (some species hold toes
four toes point forward. anisodactyly).
Syndactyl Third and fourth toes fused All Coraciiformes (kingfishers) and
together for most of their length. hornbills.
Webbed Palmate Forward three toes fully webbed Waterfowl, loons, flamingo, gulls, terns.
with small hallux placed high on
metatarsus.
Semipalmate Partial web between front toes. Plovers (such as killdeer) and other
Hallux absent or reduced. shorebirds, ibis, herons.
Lobate Lobes of skin around toes, not Grebes, phalaropes, some diving ducks.
attached to each other.
Semilobate Separate lobes on each joint Coots
of toes.
Totipalmate Webbing connecting all four toes Pelicans and cormorants, boobies, tropic
(hallux pulled medially). birds, frigatebirds, anhinga.