Which organ in poultry functions to grind food and may contain grit?

Which organ in poultry functions to grind food and may contain grit?

• A. gizzard
• B. gosling
• C. gaggle
• D. gander

Answer: (A)

In birds, teeth are absent, so mechanical digestion is done by the gizzard, a thick-walled, muscular part of the digestive tract. After the food moves from the crop and into the gizzard, strong muscular contractions grind the material. This grinding is aided by grit—tiny stones or sand that the bird swallows—which sit in the gizzard and provide an abrasive surface to crush seeds and tough plant matter. This physical breakdown increases the efficiency of subsequent chemical digestion and nutrient absorption. The other terms refer to geese, not an organ, so they aren’t involved in digestion.

In birds, teeth are absent, so mechanical digestion is done by the gizzard, a thick-walled, muscular part of the digestive tract. After the food moves from the crop and into the gizzard, strong muscular contractions grind the material. This grinding is aided by grit—tiny stones or sand that the bird swallows—which sit in the gizzard and provide an abrasive surface to crush seeds and tough plant matter. This physical breakdown increases the efficiency of subsequent chemical digestion and nutrient absorption. The other terms refer to geese, not an organ, so they aren’t involved in digestion.