avian digestive system Flashcards
1
Q
organs of the avian GI tract
A
- mouth - with salivary glands
- oesophagus
- crop
- stomach, including: proventriculus and gizzard
- small intestine
- caeca
- large intestine
- cloaca/vent
2
Q
what is another word for the gizzard?
A
ventriculus
3
Q
what is the fucntion of the crop?
A
a storage area in which food is moistened and softened before it enters the stomach
4
Q
what is the function of the gizzard?
A
has a thick muscular wall and crushes and grinds food, and is lined with a thick protein cuticle
5
Q
what are the three parts of the small intestines?
A
duodenum - nearest the gizzard
jejunum
ileum - nearest the large intestine
6
Q
what is the function of the caeca?
A
is a site for fermentation using microbes
7
Q
what is the function of the large intestine (colon)
A
absorbs most of the remaining liquid from the food, as well as a variety of mineral salts
8
Q
what can be found in the cloaca?
A
- indigestible food (roughage)
- bacteria
- dead cells from inside the gastrointestinal tract
