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Avian manus claws
I spent part of the week-end reading C. William Beebe's 1906 book _The
Bird; Its Form and Function_ (Henry Holt and Company.) The book includes
a photograph taken by the author of the forearm of an Ostrich (feathers
removed) which clearly shows two curved claws protruding from the skin,
presumably from the end of digits I and II. The author claims this is the
typical condition of adult Ostrich as well as adult "swan, Osprey, Turkey
Vulture and the various Ostrich-like birds." Unfortunately, the book
does not include any references.
Can anyone on the list confirm Beebe's claim? Up until now, I was under
the impression that, among the living birds, only young Hoatzin exhibited
manus claws.