Editing Rete mirabile (section)

== Birds ==
In [[bird]]s with [[Webbed foot|webbed feet]], retia mirabilia in the legs and feet transfer heat from the outgoing (hot) blood in the arteries to the incoming (cold) blood in the veins. The effect of this biological [[heat exchanger]] is that the internal temperature of the feet is much closer to the ambient temperature, thus reducing heat loss. [[Penguin]]s also have them in the flippers and nasal passages.

Seabirds distill seawater using [[countercurrent exchange]] in a so-called [[salt gland]] with a rete mirabile. The gland secretes highly concentrated brine stored near the nostrils above the beak. The bird then "sneezes" the brine out. As freshwater is not usually available in their environments, some seabirds, such as [[pelican]]s, [[petrel]]s, [[albatross]]es, [[gull]]s and [[tern]]s, possess this gland, which allows them to drink the salty water from their environments while they are hundreds of miles away from land.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Proctor|first1=Noble S.|last2=Lynch|first2=Patrick J.|title=Manual of Ornithology|isbn=0300076193|year=1993|publisher=Yale University Press}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Ritchison|first=Gary|title=Avian osmoregulation » Urinary System, Salt Glands, and Osmoregulation |url=http://people.eku.edu/ritchisong/bird_excretion.htm|access-date=16 April 2011}} including images of the gland and its function</ref>