A Re-Examination of the Relation between Standard Metabolic Rate and Body Weight in Birds

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Abstract
Three equations describing the relationship between standard metabolic rate and body weight in birds are presented. Passerine birds have a higher weight-specific metabolic rate than nonpasserines, although the weight-metabolism regression coefficients (b-values) are virtually identical (0.724 and 0.723, respectively). The nonpasserine equation spans the full size range of living birds, from small hummingbirds through the ostrich, and is similar to accepted equations for mammals. An equation for all groups of birds is similar to the Brody-Proctor avian equation and the comparable equation of King and Farner, but is an artifact of combining passerine and nonpasserine data.