Anatomy of bristles on the nares and rictus of western barn owls (Tyto alba).

ABSTRACT: Many nocturnal avian species, such as Strigiformes, Caprimulgiformes and Apterygiformes, have sensitive vibrotactile bristles on their upper bill, especially on their rictus. The anatomy of these bristles can vary, especially in terms of sensitivity (Herbst corpuscle number), bristle length and bristle number. This variation is thought to be associated with foraging - such that diurnal, open foragers have smaller and less-sensitive bristles. Here, we describe bristle morphology and follicle anatomy in the western barn owl (Tyto alba) for the first time, using both live and roadkill wild owls. We show that T. alba have both narial and rictal bristles that are likely to be vibrotactile, since they have Herbst corpuscles around their follicles. We observed more numerous (~8) and longer bristl

SUBMITTER: Delaunay MG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9296031 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature