Histomorphological study of tongue in Indigenous peacock (Pavo cristatus)

The current study aimed to examine the histomorphological features of the oral salivary ducts and the peacock tongue (Pavo cristatus) of this species. In this study, eight healthy adult peacocks were used after collecting them from a commercial market in Baghdad to investigate and describe the tongue in these bird species. After being euthanized, they were killed by cutting off the major neck blood vessels and bleeding until death; the tongue was identified. The tongue was the sharp end, elongated, somewhat triangular, and measured 8.2 mm. The apex, trunk, and base are its three sections. There are 4 to 5 layers of big conical papillae on the area where the root and body converge. Without gustatory papillae, the dense keratinized epithelium stratified squamous epithelia that lined the dorsal surface and were sparse on the ventral surfaces. The body and tongue root contain cells of the epithelium. It was supported by hyaline cartilage as a short plate. Lingual salivary glands situated anterior and posterior are superficial branch tubuloalveolar glands. This research was conducted at the University of Baghdad/ College of Veterinary Medicine in the Anatomy and Histology Department. Our result concluded that modifying the bird tongue, papillae distribution, and mucosa epithelium histological features is mainly restricted to feeding types that also have similarities with other avian species. Keywords: peacock, tongue, lingual papillae, keratinized epithelium