Fecal sac

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
The head and upper torso of a gray bird with a small white object in its beak protrudes from a hole in a tree trunk.
An oak titmouse removes a fecal sac – feces wrapped in a membrane – from its cavity nest.
A blue bird with a small white object in its beak flies against a green background.
Many species, such as the western bluebird, carry fecal sacs some distance from the nest.
An adult Eurasian blue tit collecting the fecal sac of a chick (just hatched, still naked and blind) to ensure the cleanliness of their nest.

A fecal sac (also spelled faecal sac) is a mucous membrane, generally white or clear with a dark end,

nestling birds.[2] It allows parent birds to more easily remove fecal material from the nest. The nestling usually produces a fecal sac within seconds of being fed; if not, a waiting adult may prod around the youngster's cloaca to stimulate excretion.[3] Young birds of some species adopt specific postures or engage in specific behaviors to signal that they are producing fecal sacs.[4] For example, nestling curve-billed thrashers raise their posteriors in the air, while young cactus wrens shake their bodies.[5] Other species deposit the sacs on the rim of the nest, where they are likely to be seen (and removed) by parent birds.[4]

Not all species generate fecal sacs. They are most prevalent in

altricial young[6] that remain in the nest for longer periods.[3] In some species, the fecal sacs of small nestlings are eaten by their parents. In other species, and when nestlings are older, sacs are typically taken some distance from the nest and discarded.[7] Young birds generally stop producing fecal sacs shortly before they fledge.[8]

Removal of fecal material helps to improve nest sanitation, which in turn helps to increase the likelihood that nestlings will remain healthy.

brood parasites such as brown-headed cowbirds, which do not care for their own offspring, have been documented swallowing the fecal sacs of nestlings of their host species.[13]

Scientists can use fecal sacs to learn a number of things about individual birds. Examination of the contents of the sac can reveal details of the nestling's

bird censuses as an indication of breeding.[17]

References

  1. ^ Choiniere, J.; Mowbray Golding, C.; Vezo, T. (2005). What's That Bird?.
    ISBN 1-58017-554-6
    .
  2. ^ Elphick, C.; Dunning, Jr, J. B.; Sibley, D. (2001). The Sibley Guide to Bird Life & Behaviour.
    ISBN 0-7136-6250-6
    .
  3. ^ a b Campbell, B.; Lack, E. (1985). A Dictionary of Birds.
    ISBN 0-85661-039-9
    .
  4. ^ a b O'Connor, R. J. (1984). The Growth and Development of Birds.
    ISBN 0-471-90345-0
    .
  5. The Wilson Bulletin. 78 (1): 47–56. Archived from the original
    (PDF) on 2008-10-10. Retrieved 2009-12-17.
  6. S2CID 53194945
    .
  7. ^ Ehrlich, P. R; Dobkin, D. S; Wheye, D.; Pimm, S. L. (1994). The Birdwatcher's Handbook.
    ISBN 0-19-858407-5
    .
  8. ^ Mockler, M. (1992). Birds in the Garden.
    ISBN 1-85079-217-8
    .
  9. ^ Alcorn, G. D. (1991). Birds and Their Young.
    ISBN 0-8117-1016-5
    .
  10. ^ Read, M. (2005). Secret Lives of Common Birds.
    ISBN 0-618-55871-3
    .
  11. S2CID 198238633
    .
  12. JSTOR 1368982
    .
  13. ^ Stake, M. M.; Cavanagh, P. M. (2001). "Removal of Host Nestlings and Fecal Sacs by Brown-headed Cowbirds".
    S2CID 88221603
    .
  14. ^ Brickle, N. W.; Harper, D. G. C. (1999). "Diet of Nestling Corn Buntings Miliaria Calandra in Southern England Examined by Compositional Analysis of Faeces".
    doi:10.1080/00063659909461145
    .
  15. ^ Smith, G. T.; Calver, M. C. (1984). "The Diet of the Nestling Noisy Scrub-Bird, Atrichornis Clamosus".
    doi:10.1071/WR9840553
    .
  16. ^ Custer, T. W.; Custer, C. M.; Stromborg, K. L. (1997). "Distribution of Organochlorine Contaminants in Double-crested Cormorant Eggs and Sibling Embryos".
    S2CID 9042213
    .
  17. ^ Bibby, C. J. (2000). Bird Census Techniques (2nd ed.).
    ISBN 0-12-095831-7
    .

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to fecal sacs.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fecal_sac&oldid=1214527391"