Panting and acid-base regulation in heat stressed birds

1. Studies in respiratory physiology and acid-base balance of panting birds exposed to high Tas show that flying as well as nonflying birds can use the respiratory system simultaneously for gas exchange and evaporative cooling. 2. The present study proves that well acclimated hand-reared birds can effectively regulate a normal CO2 level and acid-base status in arterial blood, when exposed to extremely high temperatures (50-60 degrees C). 3. In many birds practising simple or "flush-out" panting, the dead space can be reduced to a volume which is estimated to be approx 15% the volume of the respiratory tract. 4. These two modes of ventilation, shallow and high-rate, restricted to the nonrespiratory surfaces, may ensure the avoidance of CO2-washout and limit lung ventilation to the volumes needed for oxygen consumption. 5. This view supports earlier theories, suggesting the existence of physiological shunt mechanisms which operate during thermal panting in birds.