AVIAN ANATOMY NOTES

3.15.2022

A. SKELETAL SYSTEM

The quadrate bone is a large bone situated between the mandible and the
temporal bone. Its function is to allow the upper beak to be opened wherever the
mandible is depressed.
The sternum is adapted to give attachment to the powerful wing muscles. It
consists of the following parts:
1. Rostum
2. Lateral oblique processes with posterior branches
3. Ventral crest or keel.

SKELETON OF THE WING

The thoracic limb of the fowl is modified for flight. It has the following
segments:
1. Shoulder girdle
i. coracoid
ii. clavicle
iii. scapula
2. Upper arm – humerus
3. Forearm – radius and ulna
4. Manus
i. carpus which consists of two carpal bones, radial and ulnar
ii. metacarpus which consists of metacarpa 1, 2 and 3. of these, 1
is the vestigial 2 and 3 are blended at their extremities only.
iii. Digits. Each metacarpal bears a digit. Of these, the 1st and 2nd
have two phalanges. The 3rd has 1 phalanx.

SKELETON OF THE LEG

The pelvic limb of the fowl can be divided into the following regions:
1. Pelvic girdle which consists of:
i. ilium
ii. ischium
iii. pubis
2. Thigh – femur
3. Lower limb – tibia and fibula
4. Pes –
i. Metatarsus which consists of a single bone formed by the
fusion of the 2nd , 3rd and 4th metatarsals.
ii. Digits. The metatarpus carries 4 digits. 3 projects forwards
and 1 backwards. The last digit which projects backwards
carries two phalanges, the others thus: -
2nd digit – 3 phalanges
3rd digit – 4 phalanges
4th digit – 5 phalanges.
B. DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
The fowl has no teeth. Its hard palate is cleft. Its tongue has
macroscopic cornified papilla and contains the entoglossal bone.
Otherwise the digestive tube is as follows:
1. Pharynx
2. Oesophagus
3. Crop
4. Glandular stomach
5. Gizzard
6. Duodenum, which consists of the two narrow loops between which the
pancrease is situated.
7. Loose coils of jejunum and ileum
8. Two caeca
9. Short colon
10. Cloaca.

The cloaca is the common opening to both digestive and urogenital systems.
It has three parts:
1. Coprodeum – continuous with rectum
2. Urodeum – ureters and genital duct open.
3. Proctodeum – pposterior portion in which is a diverticulum, the
bursa of Fabricii.

The liver of the fowl has two lobes.

The spleen is small and round like a marble. It is situated next to the stomach.
The kidney of the fowl have three or four lobes. In the male they arerelated
anteriorly to the testes. The ureters open into the urodeum.
The male bird has two testes. The ductus deferens of either gland opens on a
small papilla in the urodeum.
The female bird has only one ovary. It is closely situated to the left kidney.
The yolk of the egg is formed in the ovary. It is closely situated to the left of
the kidney.
The yolk of the egg is formed in the ovary. The other parts are formed in the
oviduct as the yolk gradually passes to the urodeum. The oviduct has five
dimensions:
1. Infundibulum
2. Albumen secreting portion
3. Isthmus, where the shell membrane is formed.
4. Uterus, where the shell itself is secreted
5. Vagina, where the shell cuticle and colouring matter are added.

The vagina leads into uredeum.

Points to Note:
1. The pectin projects into interior of the eyeball from the region of entrance
of optic nerve. It is vascular and pigmented and thus is considered as an
appendage of the choroids.
2. The uropygial gland is situated at the base of the tail feathers. It is used
for preening purposes.
The following are the points to note:
1. The fowl has no diaphragm
2. It has a cranial larynx which consists of two ossified cartilages: -
i. cricoid
ii. arytenoids
3. It has a caudal larynx that is termed the syrinx. The syrinx is a lateral
compression at the point of bifurcation of the trachea.
2. Tracheal rings are complete
3. The main bronchus does not ramify like the mammalian bronchus. It
passes through the entire lung to communicate with a system of air sacs.
These air sacs communicate with each other. There are eleven in all:
i.) 1 Clavicular
ii.) 2 Cervical
iii.) 4 Thoracic – 2 anterior and 2 posterior
iv.) 2 axillary
v.) 2 abdominal