EVERYDAY SCIENCE

Detailed explanation-1: -The gizzard is the mechanical stomach of a bird. It is located just after the true or glandular stomach in the gastrointestinal system. Since poultry have no teeth and swallow feed whole, this muscular organ, sometimes called hen’s teeth, mechanically grinds and mixes the bird’s feed.

Detailed explanation-2: -Many species swallow stones and grit to aid in digestion. These stones remain in the gizzard and crush the food as the gizzard contracts. From a functional perspective, gizzard stones in birds are the equivalent of teeth in humans.

Detailed explanation-3: -The gizzard can grind the food with previously swallowed grit and pass it back to the true stomach, and vice versa. In layman’s terms, the gizzard ‘chews’ the food for the bird because it does not have teeth to chew food the way humans and other mammals do.

Detailed explanation-4: -Among birds with well-developed gizzards are turkeys, pheasants, pigeons and doves, ducks, and many finches. Turkeys and dabbling ducks, such as Mallards, eat hard-shelled nuts that are easily pulverized in their gizzards.