Crop (anatomy)

The 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 earthworms, leeches, insects, and birds.

Related Topics:
Alimentary tract - Digestion - Earthworm - Leech - Insect - Bird

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Cropping is used by bees to temporarly store nectar of flowers. When bees "suck" nectar, it is stored in their crop. They can then fly while transporting it.

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In a bird's digestive system, the crop is an expanded, muscular pouch near the throat. It is a part of the digestive tract, essentially a part of the esophagus. In adult birds, the crop can produce crop milk to feed newly hatched birds, however, not all birds have a crop. As with most other organisms that have a crop, the crop is used to temporarily store food.

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