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International Journal of Zoology and Applied Biosciences Research Article
Diversity and functional morphology of bird claws in the Srikakulam region, Andhra Pradesh, India
Gopal Anapana, Lakshminarayana V and Venkata Rathnamma V
Year : 2025 | Volume: 10 | Issue: 5 | Pages: 89-96
Received on: 23/07/2025
Revised on: 30/07/2025
Accepted on: 09/09/2025
Published on: 30/09/2025
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Gopal Anapana, Lakshminarayana V and Venkata Rathnamma V( 2025).
Diversity and functional morphology of bird claws in the Srikakulam region, Andhra Pradesh, India
. International Journal of Zoology and Applied Biosciences, 10( 5), 89-96.
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Abstract
Claw morphology in birds offers critical insight into their ecological adaptations, including locomotion, foraging behaviour, and habitat specialization. This study presents a comprehensive field-based assessment of avian claw diversity across the Srikakulam District of Andhra Pradesh, India, during the post monsoon period from November to December 2023. A total of 74 bird species were recorded across diverse habitats wetlands, agricultural landscapes, forests, and urban areas using direct observation and high-resolution photography. Each species was classified into one of nine functional claw types on the basis of curvature, toe arrangement, and substrate interaction behaviour. Perching claws were the most prevalent (29.7%), followed by wading, swimming, and raptorial types. The distribution patterns demonstrated strong correlations between claw morphology and habitat use, supporting established models of functional adaptation. These findings enhance our understanding of avian ecomorphology in tropical ecotones and provide a baseline for conservation-oriented morphological studies in biodiversity-rich but underexplored regions such as eastern peninsular India.
Keywords
Avian claw morphology, Functional adaptation, Habitat specialization, Srikakulam birds.
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© The Author(s) 2025. This article is published by International Journal of Zoology and Applied Biosciences under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (creativecommons.org), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
