Functional morphology of the tongue muscles of some Indian insect-eating birds.

In the complex feeding apparatus of birds, the tongue muscles also play an important role like the jaw muscles. Among the passerine birds, the tongue muscles exhibit greater structural uniformity than the jaw muscles. The elaborate system of extrinsic tongue musculature brings about all necessary movements of the tongue. The intrinsic tongue musculature in all the birds studied is extremely weak and reduced. The principal tongue muscles are better developed in Turdoides and Copsychus than in the other birds. However, in Orthotomus, Anthus, Dicrurus, and Merops, some of the tongue muscles are quite well developed, perhaps compensating for the deficiencies of the other muscles. The origin of M. branchiomandibularis posterior from the outer mandibular ramus in Orthotomus, Dicrurus, and Merops is remarkable, but its occurrence may not be unusual among the passerine birds. Some variations are also observed in the origin and insertion of M. genioglossus in Turdoides, Copsychus, and Anthus. The correlations between the structures and functions of the tongue muscles are not always possible without considering the synergistic actions of the other muscles.