Barn owls (Tyto alba) are crepuscular and nocturnal birds that hunts small vertebrates. They are popular for their roles in bio-controls as predators, being more effective than poison in keeping down the number of rodent pests. Gross anatomical description of the appendicular skeleton of the barn owls was undertaken to understand and document its normal features, assessing the structure-function paradigm. The present study was conducted on seven apparently healthy barn owls. The birds were euthanized and skeleton processed using cold water maceration method. Results showed that the bones of the forelimb consists of bones of the pectoral girdle including; scapular, coracoids, clavicle, humerus, radius, ulna, ossa carpi, carpometacarpal and ossa digitorum manus (wing), while the hindlimb consists of the femur, patella, tibiotarsus, fibula, tarsometatarsus and ossa digitorum pedis. Two unique findings were consistent in all animals used: 1) A Y-shaped groove bearing a foramen at the cranial extremity of the coracoid; 2) A proximal and distal distinct foramina about mid-way of the proximal phalanx of the ossa digitorum manus. These foramina were found in both sexes. Literature and anatomical avian museum specimen search did not yield any information on these foramina on the coracoid and proximal phalanx of the forelimb of avian species. We ventured to name them proximal foramen of the coracoid and proximal phalanx digit majoris foramina respectively. In conclusion, the present study reported for the first time, the descriptive anatomy of the appendicular skeleton of the barn owl (Tyto alba), found in Nigeria. Our unique findings would be of benefit in understanding the adaptive features necessary for domestication of this bird and address its issue of going extinct.
Key words: Tyto alba, appendicular skeleton, foramina, domestication, Nigeria
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