Anatomical Descriptions Of The Nasal Cavity Of The Aquatic And Non-Aquatic Birds

Abstract

This study attested the anatomical and morphometrical descriptions of the nasal cavity in duck, goose as the aquatic birds and quail, dove as the non-aquatic birds. This study elucidated in the aquatic birds that the nasal cavity remarkable increased in width caudally and had relatively larger nasal conchae and greater of the middle nasal concha than the non-aquatic birds. The nostrils without operculum in the aquatic birds and with horny operculum in the non-aquatic birds, it located at the base of the upper beak by variable distances but in quail, it located punctually at the base of the beak. In all examined birds, the nasal cavity consisted of three nasal conchae except dove consisted of two conchae. The middle nasal concha length constituted the highest percentage to that of the nasal cavity which was recorded 63.91%, 55.18%, and 58.88% in duck, goose and quail respectively except in dove the caudal one recorded the highest percentage 42.16%. In transverse sections, the rostral nasal concha projected from the lateral wall of the nasal cavity as a shelf-like in duck, T-shape in goose and appeared as very small bulla in dove as well as it was C shape enclosed vertical lamella of the nostril in quail. The middle one scroll one and one-half turns in duck, two turns in goose, one-half turn in quail and absent in dove. The caudal nasal concha in duck, goose, and quail was bulla-like and hollow pear-shaped in dove. The infra-orbit sinus was well developed in the aquatic birds than that of the non-aquatic birds.

Structural adaption of the nasal conchae of Eurasian common moorhen (Gallinula chloropus chloropus, Linnaeus, 1758)—Histomorphological study

“…In Eurasian common moorhen, the nostrils were situated at the base of the upper beak, this finding resembles to that obtained by Madkour (2019), while Stettenheim (2000) found it at the tip of the upper beak in Kiwis. Wilson and Burnie (2001) noticed the absence of the nostrils in Cormorants, boobies, and darters and they breathe through the mouth.…”

“…The nostril was oval in shape and covered with a membranous operculum, while Madkour (2019) in goose, Sayed, Abdalla, Ahmed, and Saleh (2014) in turkey and Ali (2015) in ostrich reported that, it was oval without operculum. Furthermore, Madkour (2019) revealed that it was elliptical without operculum in duck, elongated slit‐like and reduced in size due to the horny operculum in quail and dove. In hooded crow, the nostrils were circular and covered by a tuft of feathers (Hassan, 2012), to warm the inhaled air (Gellhorn, 2007).…”

“…This result was aligned with Ali (2015) in ostrich. While it was cartilaginous rostrally and bony caudally in Muscovy duck and Egyptian geese (Madkour, 2019). Moreover, it was cartilaginous in laughing dove and Japanese quail (Madkour, 2019), in chicken and pigeon (Casteleyn et al, 2018), in Denizli cock (Taşbaş, 1994) and in duck (Kang, Yan, Yu, & Yang, 2014).…”

“…While it was cartilaginous rostrally and bony caudally in Muscovy duck and Egyptian geese (Madkour, 2019). Moreover, it was cartilaginous in laughing dove and Japanese quail (Madkour, 2019), in chicken and pigeon (Casteleyn et al, 2018), in Denizli cock (Taşbaş, 1994) and in duck (Kang, Yan, Yu, & Yang, 2014). It was noteworthy that the nasal septum was perforated rostrally to allow the passage of the water to outside if it entered to the nasal cavity from the swamps where the Eurasian common moorhen likes to live.…”

“…The nasal cavity is well documented in several avian species including, the domestic fowl (McLelland, 1990), domestic duck (Madkour, 2019), chicken (Yan, Kang, & Yang, 2014), Japanese quails (Çevik‐Demirkan, Kürtül, & Haziroğlu, 2007; Madkour, 2019), hooded crow (Hassan, 2012), Denizli cock (Taşbaş, 1994), laughing dove (Farouk, Hassan, & Emam, 2017; Madkour, 2019), Egyptian geese (Madkour, 2019).…”