Bald eagle - Haliaeetus leucocephalus
The southern bald eagle or Haliaeetus leucocephalus is a bird indigenous to North America and belongs to the genus Haliaeetus, family Accipitridae, order Accipitriformes, class Aves, phylum Chordata, and kingdom Animalia. Like most other species commonly referred to as "birds" but really meaning of the class Aves, the bald eagle has a multipart digestive system broken up into different stages. Therefore the digestive system of a bald eagle is identical to that of most all other birds.
The digestive system of the bird starts with the beak and tongue. Since birds possess no teeth they have strong beaks instead. When a bird eats it uses its beak and tongue to gather food. Since a bird has no teeth, it does not have to chew its food and it can often eat a large quantity of food at one time. Saliva makes the food easier to pass down the esophagus. The esophagus is a tube-like structure which passes food in portions, to an organ known as the crop.
The crop is an organ unique to birds. A crop's main function is to store food. It is like an extra fuel tank for the bird. The crop is located at the base of the neck and can be easily seen after a bird has just eaten. If the crop is large in size the bird is probably full. If the crop is deflated and has a flat appearance the bird has not eaten yet. The crop continuously supplies small amounts of the food to the stomach.
The food passes from the crop to the stomach, the most active part of the digestive system of a bird. There are two parts to the stomach of a bird. The first part is known as the proventriculus. This portion secretes digestive juices which break down the food. The proventriculus joins a large muscular portion of the stomach known as the ventriculus, or the gizzard. The gizzard grinds up food even more. The gizzard contains gravel, or girt, which works alongside with muscles in grinding up food.
After leaving the gizzard the food is passed on to the small intestine where it mixes with bile and enzymes. The enzymes help with the breakdown of sugars, fats and proteins. Bile from the liver breaks down the larger fat molecules. The nutrients are then absorbed and passed on to the blood stream. The liver of the bird has two equal lobes and is located next to the heart under the rib cage. Like in humans, the liver acts as a detoxifier, that purifies toxins that enter the bloodstream and recycles red blood cells some of which are used to create bile.
The pancreas in birds is located near the small intestine. The first function of the pancreas is to neutralize acids that are found in the fluid passed on from the stomach. The pancreas also produces insulin so that all the bird's cells are supplied with glucose.
The digestive system of the bird starts with the beak and tongue. Since birds possess no teeth they have strong beaks instead. When a bird eats it uses its beak and tongue to gather food. Since a bird has no teeth, it does not have to chew its food and it can often eat a large quantity of food at one time. Saliva makes the food easier to pass down the esophagus. The esophagus is a tube-like structure which passes food in portions, to an organ known as the crop.
The crop is an organ unique to birds. A crop's main function is to store food. It is like an extra fuel tank for the bird. The crop is located at the base of the neck and can be easily seen after a bird has just eaten. If the crop is large in size the bird is probably full. If the crop is deflated and has a flat appearance the bird has not eaten yet. The crop continuously supplies small amounts of the food to the stomach.
The food passes from the crop to the stomach, the most active part of the digestive system of a bird. There are two parts to the stomach of a bird. The first part is known as the proventriculus. This portion secretes digestive juices which break down the food. The proventriculus joins a large muscular portion of the stomach known as the ventriculus, or the gizzard. The gizzard grinds up food even more. The gizzard contains gravel, or girt, which works alongside with muscles in grinding up food.
After leaving the gizzard the food is passed on to the small intestine where it mixes with bile and enzymes. The enzymes help with the breakdown of sugars, fats and proteins. Bile from the liver breaks down the larger fat molecules. The nutrients are then absorbed and passed on to the blood stream. The liver of the bird has two equal lobes and is located next to the heart under the rib cage. Like in humans, the liver acts as a detoxifier, that purifies toxins that enter the bloodstream and recycles red blood cells some of which are used to create bile.
The pancreas in birds is located near the small intestine. The first function of the pancreas is to neutralize acids that are found in the fluid passed on from the stomach. The pancreas also produces insulin so that all the bird's cells are supplied with glucose.