Medycyna Wet. 65 (12), 833-835, 2009
| Bartyzel B. J. |
| Morphology of the pulmonary valve of chosen species of free-living birds |
| The aim of the research was to describe the structure of the pulmonary valve. The study was conducted on forty-six hearts of free-living birds of four orders. Out of the examined birds only one Mute Swan from the Anseriformes order had the quadricuspid valve. Other birds had the tricuspid type of the valve. It was observed that Northern Eagle Owls, White-tailed Sea Eagles and Mute Swans have the nodules of the cusps on the free margins of the cusps of the pulmonary valve. New terms were suggested to describe the nodules and the structure of the commissure of the pulmonary valve. Such types of research may link morphological study, clinical in type, with the ecology of birds belonging to various systematic units. |
| Keywords: birds, heart, pulmonary valve, morphology |