Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/28075
Title: A comparative study of avian pes morphotypes, and the functional implications of Australian raptor pedal flexibility
Contributor(s): Tsang, Leah R (author); McDonald, Paul G  (author)orcid 
Publication Date: 2019
Early Online Version: 2018-06-21
DOI: 10.1080/01584197.2018.1483203
Handle Link: https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/28075
Abstract: The hind limbs and feet of birds are the primary structures used for important tasks such as perching (e.g. Passeriformes), food procurement (e.g. diurnal and nocturnal raptors) and object manipulation (e.g. Psittaciformes). Birds of prey or ‘raptors’ in particular rely heavily on their feet to hunt and capture prey, with their toes equipped with sharply curved talons to facilitate prey restraint, prevent escape, and fatally wound prey. We hypothesise that raptors, being more reliant on their toes and digits for prey capture, will have greater pedal flexibility when compared with non-raptorial groups. We analysed pedal flexibility across four avian pedal morphotypes (anisodactyl, zygodactyl, facultative zygodactyl, and raptorial) representing both raptor and non-raptor groups by measuring the maximum angle of divarication between digits Dᵢᵢ, Dᵢᵢᵢᵢ, and Dᵢᵥ. The anisodactyl morphotype (Corvidae) had the lowest measurements (min. 29°; max. 88°), and the zygodactyl morphotype (Cacatuidae) had the widest minimum and maximum digit angle divarication measurements (min. 115°; max. 166°). The facultative zygodactyl morphotype (Pandionidae, Strigidae, Tytonidae) had higher pedal flexibility than the anisodactyl morphotype. Within the anisodactyl morphotype, we compared raptor and non-raptor groups and found that the raptorial morphotype had the widest range of motion (76°) when compared with the other morphotypes. Further, within the raptorial morphotype group, there was a clear separation in pedal flexibility particularly between dietary specialists and generalists. The increased pedal flexibility of raptors could be shaped by physical adaptation to predatory behaviours and dietary choices.
Publication Type: Journal Article
Source of Publication: Emu - Austral Onithology, 119(1), p. 14-23
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Australasia
Place of Publication: Australia
ISSN: 1448-5540
0158-4197
Fields of Research (FoR) 2008: 060807 Animal Structure and Function
Fields of Research (FoR) 2020: 310911 Animal structure and function
Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2008: 970106 Expanding Knowledge in the Biological Sciences
Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2020: 280102 Expanding knowledge in the biological sciences
Peer Reviewed: Yes
HERDC Category Description: C1 Refereed Article in a Scholarly Journal
Appears in Collections:Journal Article
School of Environmental and Rural Science

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