Macroscopic Investigation of Muscles Affecting The Hind Limb Wrist (Articulatio Tarsi) And Digit Joints (Articulationes Digiti Pedis) in Quail (Coturnix Coturnix) and Pigeon (Columba Livia)

The motion system consists of two separate parts, the passive motion system and the active motion system. While the passive movement system consists of bones and joints, the active movement system consists of muscles. The strongest connection between bones, joints and muscles is seen in the feet. Feet help different functions in poultry. One of these functions is the movement the perch. Perching is an instinctive behavior, especially in chickens. There are different opinions on the perch. Among these views, the mechanisms reported as TKM and ODFM are mechanisms that support each other. The cartilaginous protrusions of the MFDL and MFHL muscle tendons at the level of the metatarsophalangeal joint and the pits in the tendon sheaths form a zipper-like structure. With the intertwining of these formations, the foot digits are locked around the perch with the weight of the body, thanks to the flexor muscles. In our study, the muscles acting on the hind leg wrist and digit joints of quails and perching pigeons that do not have the ability to perch were examined macroscopically. For this purpose, hind legs of 20 adult quails and 20 adult pigeons were used. Live weights were determined with a precision scale. They were euthanized by cervical dislocation. After the right and left legs of the euthanized animals were separated from the body, their left legs were fixed in 30% formaldehyde solution for dissection. Dissection was carried out simultaneously for both poultries. As a result of the study, it was determined that MFDL and MFHL muscle tendons, cartilage protrusions at the level of the metatarsophalangeal joint and pits in the tendon sheaths were more prominent in pigeons than in quails. If these protrusions and pits perform the perching movement by locking together like a zipper, it can be interpreted that pigeons are more suitable for perching movement than quails anatomically.