Jaw Musculature of the Mourning and White-winged DovesMerz, Robert L.
Science
Jaw Musculature of the Mourning and White-winged Doves
Merz, Robert L.
Birds -- Anatomy; Mourning dove; White-winged dove
I would like also to acknowledge the assistance of Dr. Robert M. Mengel
and Mr. Jon C. Barlow for suggestions on procedure, and Mr. William C.
Stanley, who contributed specimens of Mourning Doves for study. Mr.
Thomas H. Swearingen offered considerable advice on production of
drawings and Professor E. Raymond Hall suggested the proper layout of
the same and gave editorial assistance otherwise, as also did Professor
Johnston.
MYOLOGY
The jaw musculature of doves is not an imposing system. The eating
habits impose no considerable stress on the muscles; the mandibles are
not used for crushing seeds, spearing, drilling, gaping, or probing as
are the mandibles of many other kinds of birds. Doves use their
mandibles to procure loose seeds and grains, which constitute the major
part of their diet (Leopold, 1943; Kiel and Harris, 1956: 377; Knappen,
1938; Jackson, 1941), and to gather twigs for construction of nests.
Both activities require but limited gripping action of mandibles. The
crushing habit of a bird such as the Hawfinch (_Coccothraustes
coccothraustes_), on the other hand, involves extremely powerful
gripping (see, for example, Sims, 1955); the contrast is apparent in
the development of the jaw musculature in the two types. Consequently,
it is not surprising to find a relatively weak muscle mass in the jaw
of doves, and because the musculature is weak there are few pronounced
osseous fossae, cristae and tubercles. As a result, the bones, in
addition to being small in absolute size, are relatively weaker when
compared to skulls of birds having more distinctive feeding habits
which require more powerful musculature.
The jaw muscles of the species dissected for this study are, in gross
form, nearly identical from one species to another. Thus, a description
of the pertinent myology of each species is unnecessary; one basic
description is hereby furnished, with remarks on the variability
observed between the species.
The terminology adopted by me for the jaw musculature is in boldfaced
italic type. Synonyms are in italic type and are the names most often
used by several other writers.
~_M. pterygoideus ventralis:_~ part of Mm. pterygoidei, Gadow,
1891:323-325, table 26, figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4, and table 27,
fig. 3--part of M. pterygoideus internus, Shufeldt, 1890:20,
figs. 3, 5, 6, 7 and 11--part of M. adductor mandibulae
internus, Edgeworth, 1935:58, figs. 605c and 607--part of M.
pterygoideus anterior, Adams, 1919:101, pl. 8, figs. 2 and 3.
~_M. pterygoideus dorsalis:_~ part of Mm. pterygoidei,
Gadow, 1891:323-325, table 26, fig. 7 and table 27, figs. 1
and 3--part of M. pterygoideus internus, Shufeldt,
1890:20--part of M. adductor mandibulae internus, Edgeworth,
1935:58, fig. 605c--? part of M. pterygoideus anterior,
Adams, 1919:101, pl. 8, figs. 2 and 3.
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