Intestinal Morphology of Gallinaceous Birds in Relation to Food Habits

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Abstract
Browsing galliforms of the grouse family were found to have materially longer caeca and somewhat longer intestines than seed-eating quails, partridges, pheasants and turkeys. Presumably these morphologic modifications permit the grouse to winter on very poor sources of bulk food, partly by providing storage room for microbial decomposition of cellulose and perhaps in part by permitting more complete absorption of all essential elements in the diet. A parallel though less marked difference in intestinal morphology was found between two subspecies of California quail, one population, depending upon a relatively poor winter diet of bulk foods, having longer caeca and intestines than a nearby population with a richer avg. diet.

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