Gross Morphological and Morphometrical Studies on the Sternum of Asian Koel (Eudynamys scolopaceus)

Abstract

Background: The sternum is one of the most important and characteristic skeletal elements in birds, highly adapted for flight and showing a diverse range of morphogenesis. The Asian koel (Eudynamys scolopaceus) is a member of the Cuckoo order of birds, found in the Indian sub-continent, China and Southeast Asia. The present study was carried out as anatomical data on the sternum of this species is scanty. Methods: Carcass of Asian koel brought to the Department of Wildlife Science, Madras Veterinary College, Chennai after the post-mortem examination was biologically macerated, cleaned, dried and morphological and morphometric studies were performed. Result: Gross morphological and morphometric data of the sternum of Asian koel was compared with other avian species. The sternum of Asian koel was large, broad, quadrilateral shaped and highly pneumatized bone with well developed sternal crest, craniolateral and caudolateral processes. These features provide protection to the viscera and facilitates superior flight.

Shape differences of the Carina sterni in birds of various locomotion types

“…Previously, the characteristics of the sternum were investigated according to their anatomical features and habitats, and differences were revealed with traditional morphometry methods. There are also studies with morphometric measurements of the carina sterni (Pathak et al, 2017;Sathyamoorthy et al, 2017Sathyamoorthy et al, , 2021. However, variations in shape and shape differences of the carina sterni in different bird species and different groups (flying, swimming, and walking) have not been studied.…”