VAN Practical Assignment

THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM OF FOWL

Submitted to:

Dr. Kamal B. Dev Choudhury, Asst. Professor, Dept. of veterinary anatomy and histology,
CVSc, AAU, Guwahati

Submitted by:

Sampreet Saikia, 19 VK 81, Group C

The avian digestive system differs from that of the mammals mainly by the following features:

 Presence of the beak: It performs similar functions to that of the buccal cavity but is
anatomically very different.
 There is no proper separation between oral and the pharyngeal cavities unlike that of the
mammals. Also birds don’t have any cheek, teeth or lips mainly due to the beak.
 Extra storage chamber called the crop is present.
 Instead of the conventional glandular and non glandular separation of the stomach in
mammals, the avian stomach is divided into a glandular and a muscular part.
 There are two caeca in the avian digestive system.
 Blind sac like structure called the cloaca is present which acts as the common exit passage
for both the excretory and the reproductive systems.

Oral cavity and pharynx

The mouth of the birds constitutes of a combined cavity that is surrounded dorsally and ventrally
by the beak. This macroscopically and functionally common space is referred to as the
oropharynx. Birds possess the structure known as the beak. While it is argued to be analogous to
the mouth of mammals it is still a lot different because the beak also incorporates nasal and
breathing functions along with other functions like pecking, tearing, drilling etc. It is a distinctive
feature of birds. The beak has multiple variations which are based upon the way it is used
although its primary function is feeding which is common to all birds. The beak also has
significant contribution in the flight mechanism of the bird as it adds to the overall aerodynamic
profile of the bird in flight.

Birds do not have a soft palate. Also there is no clear separation between the roof and the mouth
that is worth mentioning. Instead the palate forms the dorsal boundary of the oropharynx. A
median cleft in the palate unites the oropharynx with the nasal cavities. The avian tongue varies
according to the diet of the bird. Insectivorous birds have a tongue that is very long whereas
omnivores have a much shorter tongue that is lacking in muscles. The tongue generally adjusts to
the shape of the lower beak where it fits snugly into the so formed cavity.

After the food has been grasped by the beak, it is pressed against the palate using the tongue.
Following this action, some very fast tongue movements push the bolus towards the pharynx.
Peristaltic movements from the portion below force the food bolus into the oesophagus.
Oesophagus

The bird oesophagus similar to mammals is a thin walled and flexible tube that extends from the
portion below the oropharynx called as the laryngeal mound to the glandular stomach of birds
which is referred to as the proventriculus. The course of the oesophagus is almost similar to the
one observed in mammals.

Crop

The crop is a sac like organ which is actually formed by the widening of the oesophagus. It is
located at the level of the thoracic inlet, just before the oesophagus enters the body cavity. The
primary function of the crop is that it acts as an additional storage for ingesta. It also acts as a
temporary storage for partially digested material and poorly digestible food as it helps to soften
it. The functions of the crop along with its shape and size are species specific. The crop of a
grain eating bird expands a lot more than an insectivorous bird or other birds. Some birds like
pigeons and doves have a crop that is further subdivided into two chambers. This type of crop
produces a substance known as the crop milk which is used to feed the young, newly hatched
birds. The food stored in the crop is guided into the stomach by forceful contractions in the
muscles found in the walls of the crop.

Stomach:

Birds have three types of stomachs based on the diet of the bird. The three types are:

 Birds like seagulls and storks which generally feed by swallowing have a single sac like
stomach that has very little muscular development. Also this kind of stomach is highly
expandable
 Birds which are grains have a stomach that is divided into 2 compartments
 Birds which eat fruits have a very simple under developed stomach

Grain eating birds have two compartments of stomach which are:

 Proventriculus (The glandular stomach)

The proventriculus is the glandular portion of the avian stomach. It is a continuation of the
oesophagus but its boundaries are not clearly defined. The proventriculus is located in a pouch of
the intestinal peritoneal sac. It lies against the parietal surface of the liver and is located on the
right side of the spleen and these three organs are enclosed in the same pouch. The walls of
proventriculus contain secretory cells that are not distinguishable unlike that of mammals. They
secrete pepsinogen, HCl and intrinsic factor.

The proventriculus is segregated from the Ventriculus by a narrow gastric isthmus. Food does
not remain in the proventriculus for long durations. Contractions in the walls of the
proventriculus push the food into the gizzard, where the proper mixing and churning actions take
place.

Gizzard

The gizzard or the ventriculus is the muscular portion of the avian stomach. It lies to the left of
the peritoneal cavity. The function of the gizzard is to facilitate mixing and churning actions and
it is a compensation for the absence of teeth in birds. Hence sometimes it is also referred to as the
masticatory organ as it replaces the teeth in birds. Part of the ventriculus is in the contact with the
abdominal cavity which makes it retro peritoneal.

The gizzard is spherical and almost biconvex in shape its location is towards the lower quadrant
of the body. The walls of the gizzard are very thick and made up of multiple muscle layers.
Powerful contractions in these muscles cause the required mastication of the bolus and the
mixing of the food with the secretions from the proventriculus. Also tiny rocks called gastrolinth
are occasionally found in the gizzard as they are swallowed intentionally by the bird along with
grains to aid in mastication.

Intestine

The bird intestine is much shorter than the mammalian intestine when compared with their
respective body sizes. However the length of the intestine is species specific as the grain eating
birds have a longer intestine than the carnivorous birds. Intestinal villi are present in almost
every segment of the bird’s intestine.

 Duodenum: The avian duodenum begins at the ventriculus where it forms a U shaped loop
that has an ascending and descending part. Between the two parts lies the pancreas. Contrary
to that of mammals the ascending duodenum of birds accommodates the opening of the three
pancreatic ducts and the two bile ducts
 Jejunum and ileum: The avian jejunum begins at a flexure which is ventral to the vertebral
column and cranial to the cranial mesenteric artery. The jejunum and ileum exist as coils
which occupy the right quadrant part of the bird’s body. The jejunum and ileum in fowl is
separated by a diverticulum which is referred to as the Meckel’s Diverticulum. It is an
embryonic remnant of the yolk sack.

Caeca

Unlike mammals, birds have to large caeca. The starting point is at the transition between the
ileum and the rectum. The caeca are secured to the end portion of the ileum by the ileocaecal
ligament which holds both of them in place. Grain eating birds like chicken have a well
developed caeca. The base of the caecum contains lymphatic tissues which are known as the
caecal tonsils. The body of the caecum is thin walled.

Rectum

It is the final segment of the intestine and it opens into the cloaca. In some birds it possesses a
mucosal annular fold which is its identifying mark.

Cloaca

It is a sac like organ which serves as the common opening for both the excretory and the
reproductive systems in birds. There are two mucosal folds in the cloaca which divide it into
three parts:

 Coprodeum: The rectum opens into this chamber.

Accessory digestive glands

There are three accessory digestive glands in birds which are:

 Salivary glands
 Liver
 Pancreas
Avian digestive system

1. Crop
2. Proventriculus
3. Liver
4. Pancreas
5. Gizzard
6. Small intestine
7. Cloaca
8. Caecum