Light and Electron Morphological Studies on the Upper Beak of the Little Owl (Athene Noctua)

Ali, Radwa A.; Abdelsabour-Khalaf, Mohammed; Rabie, Soheir A.; Mahdy, Mohamed A. A.

doi:10.21608/svuijbs.2024.345697.1009

	Light and Electron Morphological Studies on the Upper Beak of the Little Owl (Athene Noctua)
SVU−International Journal of Basic Sciences
Article 4, Volume 2, Issue 1, June 2025, Page 32-36 PDF (487.3 K)
Document Type: Research Article
DOI: 10.21608/svuijbs.2024.345697.1009
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Authors
Radwa A. Ali ¹; Mohammed Abdelsabour-Khalaf²; Soheir A. Rabie¹; Mohamed A. A. Mahdy²^{, 3}
¹Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, South Valley University, Qena 83523, Egypt
²Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, South Valley University, Qena 83523, Egypt
³Department of Anatomy and Histology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, King Salman International University, Ras Sudr 46612, South Sainai, Egypt
Abstract
The present study investigated the morphological features of the upper beak of the little owl (Athene noctua) using gross anatomy, scanning electron microscopy, and light microscopy. The upper beak is tough, with a wide base and a strongly curved, sharp-pointed tip. The upper beak gradually increases in both width and height. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that both the tip and lateral edges of the upper beak are covered with numerous irregular keratinized flakes. The upper beak of the little owl consists of a bony basis covered by dermal and epidermal layers of varying thickness. The bony basis is composed of premaxillary bones in the rostral and lateral regions. The premaxillary bone is covered by a keratinized stratified squamous epithelium comprising multiple layers: the stratum basale, stratum spinosum, stratum transitivum, and stratum corneum. The dermis is composed of dense irregular connective tissue containing blood vessels and nerves. The dermis is rich in small capillaries and sensory corpuscles, primarily Herbst corpuscles.
Keywords
Little owl; morphology; upper beak; gross anatomy; SEM


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