62 

© 2024 The Author(s). Published by College of Education for Pure Science (Ibn Al-Haitham), 

University of Baghdad. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons 

Attribution 4.0 International License 

 

Histological Structure of the Kidney in the Iraqi Pin-tailed Sandgrouse 

Pterocles alchata (Linnaeus, 1766) Bird 

 

Wafaa Barghash Obaid1,*  and Nahla A. Al-Bakri2  
1,2Department of Biology, College of Education Pure Science (Ibn Al-Haitham), University of Baghdad, 

Baghdad,  Iraq. 

*Corresponding Author. 

 

Received: 11 February 2024                Accepted: 3 June 2024                         Published: 20 October 2024 

doi.org/10.30526/37.4.3933

 
Abstract   

The current study was conducted on six adult males of the Iraqi pin-tailed sandgrouse, 

Pterocles alchata, to determine the histological structure of the kidneys. The results showed that 

each kidney consists of three lobes: cranial, middle, and caudal. Histological results showed that 

the kidneys consist of the cortex and the medullary, and the cortex forms the majority of the 

kidney, which consists of large and small renal corpuscles. Each renal corpuscle consists of the 

Bowman capsule, glomerulus, the proximal convoluted tubule, which is lined with simple 

cuboidal epithelium tissue with a brush border, the distal convoluted tubules, and the collecting 

tubules, which are lined with simple cuboidal epithelium tissue. The medullary area contains thin 

and thick segments of the Henle loop, arranged around the medullary cones, and a simple 

cuboidal epithelium-lined collecting duct from the middle part of the cone. 

Keywords: Kidney, cortex, medulla, glomerulus, Pterocles alchata. 

 

1. Introduction 

Because they provide meat, eggs, and feathers for various uses and play a significant role in 

the biological control of harmful insects and rodents, domestic birds are considered one of the 

economically important animalistic fortune rings [1]. 

The sandgrouse bird belongs to the order Columbiformes, family Pteroclidae, which includes 

wild birds that inhabit desert areas. It comes in a variety of colors and shapes. The Iraqi large 

pin-tailed sandgrouse, Pterocles alchata, is the most common sandgrouse species in Iraq. This 

type is characterized by the long central tail feathers and their wild shape, and it feeds on grains 

[2]. Numerous studies, such as those conducted in [3-5] have demonstrated the importance of the 

kidneys for organisms. 

The urinary system in birds consists of two kidneys and ureters that transport urine from the 

urinary tract to the cloaca. Most birds do not have a urinary bladder, except ostriches and rheas 

[1,6]. The kidneys are a basic part of the urinary system that perform important functions to 

sustain life [7] and contribute to maintaining balance through processes involving filtration, 

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
https://orcid.org/0009-0000-1968-2628
mailto:wafaa.obaid2102p@ihcoedu.uobaghdad.edu.iq
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1894-7756
mailto:nahla.ar.s@ihcoedu.uobaghdad.edu.iq


IHJPAS. 2024, 37(4) 

 

63 

 

absorption, and excretion [8]. It also regulates fluid balance within the body, as well as the 

removal of waste products, excess water, and electrolytes [9, 10].  The kidneys are symmetrically 

located in the body cavity, where they are located on both sides of the spine, and each is located 

in a bony depression within the region of the synsacrum called the renal fossa [11]. 

Morphologically, the kidneys in birds appear as elongated, irregular-shaped organs that are 

fragile to the touch [12]. The kidneys in birds are larger than those in both mammals and reptiles. 

Each kidney has three lobes: cranial, middle, and caudal [13]. The kidneys of birds contain two 

types of nephrons: the cortical type, also known as the reptilian type, which lacks Henle's loop 

and is located in the peripheral area of the cortex; and the medullary type, which incorporates 

Henle's loop, penetrates the medullary area, and bears resemblance to the nephrons of mammals 

[14]. Due to the importance of studies related to the kidneys of birds, this study was conducted to 

identify the details of the morphological and histological structure of the kidneys in one of the 

Iraqi birds, the Iraqi pin-tailed sandgrouse Pterocles alchata.  

Numerous studies on bird kidneys failed to provide a detailed description of the kidney of the 

Iraqi pin-tailed sandgrouse, prompting this study to delineate the kidney morphology and 

histology characteristics of this bird, given its significant role in scientific research.  

 

2. Materials and Methods 

2.1.Sample collection:  

We collected study samples from six adult male Iraqi sandgrouse Pterocles alchata birds from 

local markets (Al-Ghazal Market, Baghdad), kept them in cages, fed them the same diet for a 

week, and classified all samples based on [2]. We sacrificed the animal by inhaling chloroform, 

dissecting it, removing the kidney, and fixing it in a 10% formalin solution, following the 

histological studies of [15-17]. 

2.2.Histological preparations:  

Paraffin sections were prepared according to the method developed by [18-23], where the 

dehydration samples were taken through an ascending series of alcohol concentrations, starting 

with a concentration of 70% and ending with an absolute alcohol concentration of 100%. The 

xylene was used to clear the samples, then embedded with paraffin wax with a high melting 

point. After that, the wax mold containing the samples was cut using a rotary microtome with a 

thickness of 5 μm. After staining the tissue sections with Harris hematoxylin-eosin stain and 

diluting them with DPX, we photographed the tissue slides using a light microscope and a Canon 

imaging camera to image the kidney tissue slides. 

 

3. Results  

This study found that the sandgrouse bird has two large, flat, hard kidneys that are 

symmetrically placed on both sides of the ventral surface of the hip bones and lie in the middle 

of the synsacrum. Each kidney extends cranially to the lung and caudally to the end of the sacral 

bone. They are each located in a bone depression called the renal fossa, and they are made up of 

three lobes: the cranial lobe is round to oval, the middle lobe is long, and the caudal lobe is the 

biggest and has a round shape (Figure 1). 

 



IHJPAS. 2024, 37(4) 

 

64 

 

 
Figure 1. The general morphological of the urinary system in the Iraqi pin- tailed sandgrouse Pterocles alchata bird 

appeared :cranial lobe (CR), middle lobe (MI), caudal lobe (CA), Left Adrenal gland (LA), Right Adrenal gland 

(RA), Left Testis (LA), Right Testis (RT), Ureter (Ur). 

 

The current study's findings revealed that a thin capsule covers the kidney in the sandgrouse bird. 

The kidney is made up of units known as lobules, each lobule consists of two areas, a cortex 

above and a medullary below. The cortex occupies a larger area than the medullary, and there are 

no boundaries between the cortex and the medullary. The capsule is composed of connective 

tissue containing mostly collagen and elastic fibers (Figures 2, 3). 

 

 
Figure 2. A cross section in the Iraqi sandgrouse bird kidney appeared: kidney lobules (L), cortex (Co), 

interlobular vein (IV), lobules (LO), medullary cone (MC), medullary (Me),  renal Glomeruli (G), H&E stain, 10x. 

 



IHJPAS. 2024, 37(4) 

 

65 

 

 
Figure 3. A cross sections in the Iraqi sandgrouse bird kidney appeared: Collagen fiber (CF), Massonʼs stain, μm 

(100x).   

 

Renal corpuscles are present in the cortex tissue: the cortical corpuscles, which are located in the 

peripheral part of the cortex, and the medullary corpuscles, which are located close to the 

medullary. The distribution of renal corpuscles within the kidney tissue is random, occurring 

either individually or in adjacent groups of duel or triple, and the cortex area also contains renal 

corpuscles of two types: the first type is a reptilian type without the loop of Henle, and the other 

type is mammalian or medullary (Figures 4, 5). 

 

  
Figure 4. A cross section in the kidney of Pterocles alchata bird showing : A-Mammalian glomeruli (MT) 40x, B-

Reptilian glomeruli (RT), H&E stained, 100x. 



IHJPAS. 2024, 37(4) 

 

66 

 

   
Figure 5. A cross section in the kidney of the Pterocles alchata bird showing the A- Duel corpuscles (DCo) H&E 

Stain (40x), B- Triple corpuscles (TCo), Alcian blue stain, 40x. 

 

A close look through a microscope showed that the renal corpuscles are made up of glomeruli, 

which are made up of single blood vessels. The urinary pole and vascular pole of each 

glomerulus connect to efferent arteries and exit afferent arteries. A double-layer capsule (visceral 

and parietal), known as Bowman's capsule, appeared to surround the glomeruli. Highly 

specialized epithelial cells make up the visceral layer, the inner layer of Bowman's capsule. 

These cells have a large round or oval nucleus called a podocytes, which is next to the 

glomerular blood capillaries. The outer layer, or parietal, consisted of a simple squamous 

epithelium. 

The kidney's urinary pole revealed a space between the two layers known as the Bowman space. 

The mesenchymal cells appeared as small cells with a relatively large nucleus, adjacent to the 

central glomerular capillaries (Figure 6). There are unique cells with elliptical nuclei at the 

vascular pole. These are called juxtaglomerular cells, and they touch the macula densa, also 

shown in this figure mesangial cells are specialized cells in the kidney that make up the 

mesangium of the glomerulus. Together with the mesangial matrix, they form the vascular pole 

of the renal corpuscle (Figure 6). 
 

 
Figure 6. A cross section in the kidney of the Pterocles alchata bird showing; Bowman capsule space (BS), brush 

border (Bb), distal convoluted tubule (DCT), glomerulus (G), macula densa(MD), mesengial cells (Mc), podocyte 



IHJPAS. 2024, 37(4) 

 

67 

 

(POc), parietal layer (PL), Proximal convoluted tubule (PCT), visceral layer (VL), vascular pole (VP),), urinary pole 

(UP), H&E stain, 100x. 

The results of the current study also showed that the glomerulus is connected at its urinary pole 

to the proximal convoluted tubule (PCT), characterized by a narrow lumen lined with 

acidophilic, high-cuboidal cells that possess a brush border with pale oval or rounded nuclei. The 

results showed a strong positive with PAS stain, comboined PAS, and Alcian blue (Figures 7, 

8). The histological examination revealed that low cuboidal epithelial cells, lacking a brush 

border, line the distal convoluted tubule (DCT), giving the lumen a wider appearance than the 

proximal convoluted tubule.  

  

 
Figure 7. A cross section in the kidney of the Pterocles alchata bird showing: brush border (Bb), glomeruli (G), 

PAS stain, A- 10x, B-40x. 

 
Figure 8. A cross section in the kidney of Pterocles alchata showing: brush border (Bb), glomeruli (G), proximal 

convoluted tubule (PCT),  A-H&E stain, 40x, B-Combined Alcian blue and PAS Stain (40x). 

 



IHJPAS. 2024, 37(4) 

 

68 

 

  
Figure 9. A cross section in the kidney of the Pterocles alchata bird showing : distal convoluted tubule (DCT), 

glomeruli (G), proximal convoluted tubule (PCT),  H&E stain, A- 40x, B-100x. 

 

The medullary region underwent microscopic examination, revealing the presence of both thin 

and thick segments of the Henles loop. The thin segment's epithelium, characterized by flattened 

cells or low cuboidal cells, lacked a brush border, while the thick segment, lined by a cuboidal 

cell with a weak reaction to the PAS stain, concentrated the presence of both thin and thick 

segments in the peripheral part of the medullary cone (Figures 10, 11). 

 

 
Figure 10. A cross section in the kidney of Pterocles alchata bird showing: collecting duct (CD), connective tissue 

(CoT), interlobular vein (Iv), medullary (Mc), thin segment (Thn), thick segment (Thc) H&E stain, A-10x, B-40x, 

C-100x. 

 



IHJPAS. 2024, 37(4) 

 

69 

 

 
Figure 11. A cross section in the kidney of Pterocles alchata bird showing medullary cone (Mc) weak reaction to 

PAS stain (10x). 

 

Microscopic examination also showed that the lining of the collecting tubules consists of low 

columnar to simple cuboidal epithelial cells, and its cells have circular nuclei, while the 

collecting ducts are of a wide diameter and their lining is composed of simple columnar 

epithelial cells with oval nuclei basal sites, which showed a positive reaction with Alican blue 

stain (Figures 12-14), which indicates that tissues secrete acidic and neutral sugars.  

 
Figure 12. A cross section in the kidney of Pterocles alchata bird showing: collecting tubules (CT), interlobular 

vein (Iv), intralobular vein (iv), H&E stain , A-10x, B 40x. 

 
Figure 13. A cross section in the kidney of Pterocles alchata bird showing : collecting tubules (CT) and collecting 

ducts (CD), Alcian blue, A-10x, B-40x. 



IHJPAS. 2024, 37(4) 

 

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Figure 14. A cross section in the kidney of Pterocles alchata bird showing: positive reaction of collecting tubules 

(CT) with combined Alcian blue and PAS Stain, A-10x, B-40x. 

 

4. Discussion 

The results of the current study showed that the Iraqi sandgrouse bird has a pair of large, 

elongated kidneys that settle in the renal fossa within the synsacrum. The study also indicated 

that each kidney consists of three cranial, middle, and caudal lobes, and these lobes vary in shape 

and size. The results agree with [24] in Circus aueroginosus, Gallus domesticus, and Anas 

platyrhuches. The results also align with the findings of [25] and [26] in the cases of Gallus 

gallus and Anas platyrhynchos, where the kidney was found to be red-brown and stable in the 

renal fossa. These findings also align with those of [27] in the case of Slreptopelia decaoeta and 

[28] in the case of Numida meleagris. 

The current research demonstrates that a thin capsule of connective tissue encircles the kidney 

capsule in Pteroclas alchata, corroborating findings from studies [29] in fowls and geese, and 

[30] in Guinea fowl (Numida meleagris).  

Histological sections of the kidneys showed that the tissue is divided into two areas: the renal 

cortex and the renal medullary. Unlike mammals [5], there are no clear boundaries between the 

cortex and medullary areas. The cortex area is larger than the medullary area, which creates a 

structure called medullary cones that are spread out randomly in the kidney tissue. This 

observation aligns with the findings of [4], which examined the kidney in the Dromaius 

novaehollandiae bird. 

This also aligns with the findings of [31], who studied kidney structures in sparrows living in 

various environments, and [32], who demonstrated that the cortex area of the kidney in a 

nectarivorous bird accounts for 90% of the total kidney volume, while the medullary portion 

makes up 2%. The cortex area in this result also contains renal corpuscles of two types: the first 

type is a reptilian type without the loop of Henle, and the other type is mammalian or medullary. 

These results align with the findings of in the Fulica atra bird and in Falcon berigora [21, 23]. 

A bilayer capsule known as the Bowman's capsule surrounds both types of renal corpuscles in 

the cortex, placing them close to the medullary area, in line with [28]. Highly specialized 

epithelial cells make up the visceral layer, the inner layer of Bowman's capsule. These cells have 

a large round or oval nucleus called a podocytes, which is next to the glomerular blood 



IHJPAS. 2024, 37(4) 

 

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capillaries. The outer layer, or parietal, consisted of a simple squamous epithelium. Between 

these two layers is a space called the Bowman space, to the inside of which there is a simple 

network of capillaries called the glomeruli that are arranged around mesengeal cells. These 

results are consistent with [10-13, 20, 23, 30]. 

Simple cuboidal epithelial tissue lines the proximal and distal convoluted tubules, proximal 

convoluted tubule (PCT), characterized by a narrow lumen lined with acidophilic, high-cuboidal 

cells that possess a brush border with pale oval or rounded nuclei, and the biochemical results 

showed a strong positive with PAS stain, combined PAS, and Alcian blue ( this means presence 

of acidic and neutral polysaccharide compounds in the parts of the tubule). The distal convoluted 

tubule (DCT), gives the lumen a wider appearance than the proximal convoluted tubule and low 

cuboidal epithelial cells, lacking a brush border this result agrees with [10, 19, 33]. 

This study found the macula densa at the beginning of the proximal convoluted tubule, which 

aligns with the findings of [23] in the Fulica atra and [13] in the pigeon (Columba livia). Also, 

these results confirm that cuboid-shaped cells line the cortical collecting tubules in the peripheral 

part of the cortex, [18] found that simple columnar epithelial cells or simple cuboidal cells with 

granular cytoplasm line the cortical collecting tubules in the kidneys of chickens and ducks. 

These granules secrete mucus that protects the lining cells from urea acidity [5, 11]. 

The current study demonstrated that the renal medullary system is arranged in the form of cones 

known as medullary cones, which contain the thin and thick segments of the Henle loop. This 

arrangement aligns with findings from [10] in great Flamingos, which stated that within the 

medullary area, the thick and thin segments of Henle's loop are organized in the peripheral region 

of the medullary cone, with the collecting duct located in the middle part of the cone, all of 

which are lined with a simple cuboidal epithelium this aligns with the findings of [4] which 

examined the kidney's structure in an emu bird. It also matches the following birds: falcon 

berigora [33], Harrier (Circum ouevginosus), chicken (Gullus domesticus) and Mohard duck 

(Anas platyrhynchus) [34], coot bird (Fulica atra ) [35]. The morphological and histological 

structure of the kidney in the bird of this study does not differ from that in most birds as 

explained by [22, 36-38]. 

 

5. Conclusion 

The current study concluded that the kidney in the Iraqi Pin-tailed sandgrouse bird consists of 

three lobes, and each lobe consists of a wide cortex area and a small medulla. The biochemical 

results showed the presence of acidic and neutral polysaccharide compounds in the parts of the 

tubule. 

 

Acknowledgment 

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the Department of Biology at the College of Education 

for Pure Science (Ibn-Al-Haitham), University of Baghdad, for their invaluable assistance in 

facilitating the practice sections of this article. 

 

Conflict of Interest  

Nahla A. Al-Bakri declares that she is the editor-in-chief of IHJPAS at the time of submitting 

the manuscript. The manager and editor of IHJPAS confirms that (Nahla A. Al-Bakri) was 

excluded from any decisions made regarding this paper.. 



IHJPAS. 2024, 37(4) 

 

72 

 

 

Funding 

 There is no funding for the article. 

 

Ethical Clearance   

 The samples were gained according to local Research Ethics Committee approval in the 

College of Education for Pure Science (Ibn-Al-Haitham), University of Baghdad No.EC-2, Date 

4/3/2024. 

 

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