A model for exploring bird morphology

TL;DR

This paper presents a simplified bird skeleton model with adjustable parameters to simulate diverse bird shapes, aiding in morphological studies, computational morphometry, and digital illustration.

Contribution

It introduces a novel parametric model of bird morphology that captures shape diversity with few variables, facilitating various scientific and artistic applications.

Findings

Model successfully simulates a wide range of bird silhouettes.

Parameters correlate with developmental and morphological features.

Potential applications include morphometric analysis and digital illustration.

Abstract

A simplified model of the bird skeleton along with elongation parameters for the flight feathers is used to explore the diversity of bird shapes. Varying a small number of parameters simulates a wide range of observed bird silhouettes. The model may serve to examine developmental factors involved, help museum curators develop computational approaches to bird morphometry and has applications in computer generated illustration.