Anatomical structure of the stomach of the common pheasant (Phasianus colchicus)

In this article, an analysis of the normal anatomy of the stomach of the common pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) is presented. The material covered 20 female common pheasants from poultry breeding. A necropsy of the deceased animals was performed, and then the stomachs were removed, analyzed, and measured for length, width, thickness of the walls, and characteristic anatomical features. The measurements were made using a caliper. The presented results include the stomach and proventriculus, focusing on their specificity, such as the strongly developed muscular membrane of the type II stomach, characteristic of granivorous birds, which reflects the diet of pheasants. In the discussion, the stomach structure of the pheasant was compared with other birds, emphasizing how diet influences the varied morphology of organs. These studies are preliminary and should be expanded to a larger group of animals, taking into account the aspect of sex. However, they constitute a basis for further development of the normal and comparative anatomy of the common pheasant.