Bird anatomy Birds have a four-chambered heart, in common with mammals, and some reptiles (mainly the crocodilia). This adaptation allows for an efficient nutrient and oxygen transport throughout the body, providing birds with energy to fly and maintain high levels of activity. A ruby-throated hummingbird's heart beats up to 1200 times per minute (about 20 beats per second). Many birds possess a muscular pouch along the esophagus called a crop. The crop functions to both soften food and regulate its flow through the system by storing it temporarily. The size and shape of the crop is quite variable among the birds. Members
Ileo-anal pouch and discomforts as their body compensates for the loss of such an important organ. Many patients experience the inability to sleep through the night, a drastically changed diet, severe and frequent gas pain, nutrient deficiencies, and the inability to digest certain foods. In some cases where the pouch was formed to manage colitis, inflammation can return to the pouch in a similar way to the original inflammation in the colon. This is known as pouchitis. The surgical procedure for forming an ileo-anal pouch (jpouch) was pioneered by Sir Alan Parks at St. Mark's Hospital in London in the mid to