Seagulls and a couple of other bird families have unique nares, in that you they don't have a dividing wall between them (a septum). So in gulls, like this one, you can look through one nostril and clear through to the other side.
Some birds, like adult cormorants, don't have functional nares. This makes sense, because they are constantly diving and it wouldn't be healthy for water to flood their respiratory system through an open nare.
Most birds seem to have exposed nares, but some are covered with feathers. The ptarmigan is one of these. The theory behind this is that the feathers help warm the frigid, arctic air where ptarmigans live before being taken into the body.
Did you take this picture? What does it have in it's beak? Seagulls & nares...interesting stuff.
ReplyDeleteSarah, yes, I did. I got lucky that day. That seagull really didn't like me being there, but he kept losing his grip on the fish and was preoccupied, so I was able to get pretty close. I do not know what kind of fish that is!
ReplyDelete