What are the special structures of the avian digestive tube and their respective functions?
The digestive tube of birds has special structures, in this sequential order: the crop, the proventriculus and the gizzard. The crop has the function of temporary storage of ingested food and it is a more dilated area of the avian esophagus. The proventriculus is the chemical stomach of the birds where food is mixed with digestive enzymes. The gizzard is a muscular pouch that serves as a mechanical stomach where the food is ground to increase the exposure area of the food particles for the digestive enzymes to act.
