Spur (bird)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The spur (plural spurs or spores), also outdated rear Knorren , wherein birds a horn structure , which in some groups of birds as the weir birds , torrent ducks , Sporn geese and the Spornkiebitz on of wing and other midfoot ( Calcar metatarsal ), the barrel is formed is. The second group includes many types of chicken , such as the male birds (roosters) of the Fasaneniform family (e.g. domestic rooster , turkey ). Here the spur is supported by a bone peg ( processus calcarius ) on the tarsometatarsus .

The spur is used as a defense weapon in intra-species disputes and also against attacks by enemies.

With the help of the spur one can also estimate the age of birds , whereby the basic rule applies: the longer the spur, the older the bird.

literature

  • Franz-Viktor Salomon (Ed.): Textbook of poultry anatomy . G. Fischer, Jena 1993, ISBN 3-334-60403-9 .