BIOL 1114 Practical 3 Pigeon Anatomy

Beak

Grasps and crushes food; aids in defense and manipulation of objects; short and thick and cone-shaped for cracking seeds and nuts; composed of an upper and lower beak

Tongue

Known as a piston tongue; mainly aids in drinking but also has some taste buds

Crop

Temporarily stores food and begins digestion before food enters the stomach

Gizzard

Mechanically breaks down food through muscular contractions; acidic secretions produce chyme which passes to the small intestine

Intestine

Site of digestion and absorption of food

Lungs

Exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide; non-elastic and compact and do not store air; rely on air sacs for flow-through ventilation

Heart

Four-chambered heart with 2 atria and 2 ventricles and a complete septum; fully separates oxygenated and deoxygenated blood; right ventricle pumps to lungs and left ventricle pumps to the body

Liver

Responsible for metabolism and excretion and detoxification and synthesis of many biochemicals

Cloaca

Single posterior opening for the digestive and urinary and reproductive tracts; expels feces and is used for egg laying

flow-through

Pigeon lungs exhibit __ ventilation

4

The pigeon heart has __ chambers

double-circuit

The pigeon has a __ heart