Digestive system edit Pigeon crop containing ingested food particles is highlighted in yellow. The crop is an out-pouching of the esophagus and the wall of the esophagus is shown in blue. Simplified depiction of avian digestive system.
Many birds have a muscular pouch called a crop located along the esophagus. The crop temporarily stores food, which helps to soften it and control how it moves through the system. The birds’ crop varies greatly in terms of size and shape. [64] Columbidae family members, including pigeons, produce a wholesome crop milk that they regurgitate to feed their young. [65].
Herbst corpuscles and lore edit
Many waders have Herbst corpuscles in their bills, which enable them to detect even the smallest changes in water pressure, which helps them locate prey that is hidden beneath wet sand. [50] Every living bird has the ability to move its upper jaw components in relation to its braincase. But in some birds, this is more noticeable, and parrots are easy to spot for example. [51].
The lore is the area on the side of a bird’s head between the eye and bill. Like in many species of the cormorant family, this area can occasionally be featherless and have colored skin.
Nervous system edit
The focal point of a bird’s nervous system is the brain. Large, sophisticated brains are found in birds; these brains process, integrate, and coordinate environmental data before deciding how to react with the rest of the body. The avian brain is housed inside the skull bones of the head, just like in all chordates.
There are several distinct regions within the bird brain, each with a distinct purpose. Two hemispheres make up the cerebrum, also known as the telencephalon, which regulates higher functions. Birds’ cognitive abilities are attributed to a sizable pallium that dominates the telencephalon and correlates to the cerebral cortex of mammals. The hyperpallium, a dorsal bulge of the pallium unique to birds, along with the nidopallium, mesopallium, and archipallium are the main structural components of the pallium. The nuclear structure of the telencephalon in birds, in which neurons are arranged in three-dimensional clusters and where there is layer-like and column-like connections but no significant separation of white matter and grey matter Pallium structures are linked to perception, cognition, and learning. The striatum and pallidum, the two parts of the subpallium, are located beneath the pallium. The subpallium is responsible for many important behaviors and serves as a link between various telencephalon regions. Located behind the telencephalon are the cerebellum, midbrain, and thalamus. The spinal cord and the remainder of the brain are connected by the hindbrain. The dimensions and composition of the avian brain allow for the notable behaviors of birds, including
Birds have a large brain to body mass ratio. This is reflected in the advanced and complex bird intelligence.
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