Morphological examination and scanning electron microscopy of the barn owl's (Tyto alba) tongue

The beak structure changes according to the feeding patterns of birds. Further, the morphological and histological structures of their tongues vary. Therefore, the current study aimed to perform macroanatomical and histological examinations and scanning electron microscopy of the barn owl's (Ty...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Microscopy research and technique 2023-07, Vol.86 (7), p.747-753
Main Authors: Ozkadif, Sema, Haligur, Ayse, Haligur, Mehmet, Alan, Aydin
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
barn owl
Birds
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell
Connective tissues
Epithelium
Lamina propria
Lingual gland
Microscopy, Electron, Scanning
Morphology
Owls
Papillae
radix linguae
Salivary gland
Salivary glands
Scanning electron microscopy
Strigiformes
Taste Buds
Tongue
Tongue - anatomy & histology
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Summary:The beak structure changes according to the feeding patterns of birds. Further, the morphological and histological structures of their tongues vary. Therefore, the current study aimed to perform macroanatomical and histological examinations and scanning electron microscopy of the barn owl's (Tylo alba) tongue. Two dead barn owls were brought to the anatomy laboratory and were used as study material. The tongue of the barn owl was long, triangular‐shaped with a bifurcated tip. There were no papillae in the anterior 1/3 of the tongue, and the lingual papillae were shaped toward the back. The radix linguae were surrounded by a single row of conical papillae. Irregular thread‐like papillae were found on both sides of the tongue. The salivary gland ducts were on the lateral margin of the corpus linguae and the dorsal surface of the radix linguae. The lingual glands were in the lamina propria near the stratified squamous epithelium layer of the tongue. The dorsal surface of the tongue comprised non‐keratinized stratified squamous epithelium, and the ventral surface and caudal part of the tongue had keratinized stratified squamous epithelium. Hyaline cartilages were detected in the connective tissue immediately below the non‐keratinized stratified squamous epithelium on the dorsal surface of the root of the tongue. The study results can contribute to the current knowledge on the anatomical structure of birds. Further, they can be useful in managing the barn owl when used as companion animals and in research activity. Histological examination of the barn owl showing a non‐keratinized stratified squamous epithelium in the dorsal surface of the tongue (arrows), lingual glands (stars), and lymphoid foci in the lamina propria (arrowheads), Ad: Adipose tissue, Ms: Muscule tissue, Fb: Fibrous tissue, Bm: Basale membrane, hematoxylin–eosin staining, bar = 50 μ.
ISSN:1059-910X
1097-0029
DOI:10.1002/jemt.24302