Crop (anatomy)

A crop is a thin-walled expanded portion of the alimentary tract used for the storage of food prior to digestion that is found in many animals, including gastropods, earthworms^[1], leeches^[2], insects, and birds.

 Bees

Cropping is used by bees to temporarily store nectar of flowers. When bees "suck" nectar, it is stored in their crop.^[3]

 Birds

In a bird's digestive system, the crop is an expanded, muscular pouch near the gullet or throat. It is a part of the digestive tract, essentially an enlarged part of the esophagus. As with most other organisms that have a crop, the crop is used to temporarily store food. Not all birds have a crop. In adult doves and pigeons, the crop can produce crop milk to feed newly hatched birds.^[4]

Scavenging birds, such as vultures, will gorge themselves when prey is abundant, causing their crop to bulge. They subsequently sit, sleepy or half torpid, to digest their food.

 See also

• Esophagus
• Proventriculus
• Gizzard

 References

1. ^ Worm World: About Earthworms- http://yucky.discovery.com/flash/worm/pg000102.html
2. ^ R. T. Sawyer, Leach Biology and Behaviour, Volume II - http://www.biopharm-leeches.com/pdf/bioandbehav.pdf
3. ^ Honeybee Biology - http://koning.ecsu.ctstateu.edu/Plants_Human/bees/bees.html
4. ^ The Alimentary Canal in Birds - http://www.earthlife.net/birds/digestion.html

 External links

• The Alimentary Canal in Birds