- Understanding Parrot Anatomy is Important - Janine Logue
There are several key terms that bird owners should understand when it comes to avian anatomy. Understanding these terms will assist pet bird and parrot owners when they are talking to their avian veterinarian or while researching pet bird health issues. While this list of terms is far from complete, it does include some of the most common terms used when describing avian anatomy.
Head and Beak Anatomy
The first thing that an observer usually notices about a bird is its beak. The upper portion of the beak is called the maxillary rhamphotheca (or rhinotheca). The lower portion of the beak, usually smaller in size than the upper portion, is the mandibular rhamphotheca (or gnathotheca). Underneath the beak, there is fleshy area called the interramal space, which houses the tongue.
Located on the maxillary rhamphotheca (upper beak) there are paired nostrils or nares. Inside the nares of most parrots is a small, round, brownish structure called the operculum, which is quite obvious in the cockatiel and Amazon parrot. In some birds, such as the budgie, there is a fleshy band at the top of the rhinotheca that contains the nares. This is called the cere. The cere is swollen, highly sensitive and may be feathered. In the budgie, the color of the cere in a mature bird may indicate the sex of the bird.
Inside the Beak
Inside of the mouth, the oropharynx contains the tongue (which houses a bone), glottis (opening of the windpipe), choana (a slit in the roof of the mouth that connects to the nostrils), palate, salivary glands, esophagus, opening of the avian equivalent of the Eustachian tubes (the pharyngotympanic tubes) and larygeal mound. A second, smaller slit is located behind the choanal slit. This slit is called the infundibular cleft, it is the passage to the middle ears and is connected by a tube, called the pharyngotympanic tube.
Examination of the oropharynx by an avian vet is extremely important. Changes in the structure or coloration of the choana or infundibular cleft can signify health issues such as malnutrition or infection
Avian Glands
The main gland of birds is the uropygeal gland. This gland is responsible for producing an oil that the bird spreads over its feathers during preening. It is present in most birds and may be relatively large in some aquatic species. It is absent in the emu, ostrich, many pigeons, Amazon parrots, and the hyacinth macaw.
Problems with the uropygeal gland, such as infection, may lead to skin irritation and cause a bird to pluck its feathers or, in some cases, even self mutilate. The oil produced by the uropygeal gland also serves as a dietary supplement for many birds, turning to vitamin D3 when exposed to ultraviolet light. Subsequent preening leads to the ingestion of the D3.
Feathers
Birds produce seven different types of feathers, the contour, semiplume, down, powder down, hypopenna, filoplume and bristle feathers. Contour feathers cover the surface of the body, and grow from a feather follicle. If a bird plucks a feather from a follicle repeatedly, it my eventually destroy the follicle, resulting in a permanent bald spot.
Feathers do fall out on their own, known as molting. A feather molts out when a new feather, developing in the follicle, pushes it out. Growing feathers, commonly referred to as blood feathers, have an active blood supply until the feather is completely grown out.
Normally, a plucked feather will begin to regrow from the follicle immediately, but a cut feather will not be lost until it is molted out. Most birds replace all their feathers yearly in a continuous molting process. Some birds, however, molt during a particular time frame such as after breeding season, or during the summer.
Understanding the anatomy of a parrot or other pet bird can help an owner make wise decisions regarding their bird’s health. It is always a good idea for an owner to research the anatomy of each breed of bird that they care for, and talk with an avian veterinarian about the specific issues that are common to individual breeds.
Janine Logue - Logue is a freelance writer with several years experience in the newspaper industry as both a reporter and editor.
