Flashcards: Bird anatomy

A glycogen body is an oval structure in the spinal cord of birds that is made of specialized cells that contain large amounts of glycogen.

In animal anatomy, a cloaca /kloʊˈeɪkə/ kloh-AY-kə (plural cloacae /kloʊˈeɪsiː/ kloh-AY-see or /kloʊˈeɪkiː/ kloh-AY-kee) is the posterior orifice that serves as the only opening for the digestive, reproductive, and urinary tracts (if present) of certain animals, opening at the vent.

The vocal tract is the cavity in human beings and in animals where sound that is produced at the sound source (larynx in mammals; syrinx in birds) is filtered.

The corpuscles of Herbst or Herbst corpuscles are nerve-endings similar to the Pacinian corpuscle, found in the mucous membrane of the tongue, in pits on the beak and in other parts of the bodies of birds.

The tactile corpuscles of Grandry (or bulboid corpuscle) occur in the papillæ of the beak and tongue of birds.

The down of birds is a layer of fine feathers found under the tougher exterior feathers.

In biology, dactyly is the arrangement of digits (fingers and toes) on the hands, feet, or sometimes wings of a tetrapod animal.

Most birds are digitigrade animals, which means that they walk on their toes, not the entire foot.

The lore (adj. loreal) is the region between the eyes and nostrils of birds, reptiles, and amphibians.

The arcopallium refers to regions of the avian brain which partially overlap regions homologous to the amygdala of mammals.

The rump or croup, in the external morphology of an animal, is the portion of the posterior dorsum that is posterior to the loins and anterior to the tail.