Anatomy, histology, and histochemistry of the harderian and lacrimal glands in the great spotted woodpecker (dendrocopos major)
Joanna Klećkowska-Nawrot, Aleksandra Kroczak-Zdańkowska, Adam Urantówka, Grzegorz Zaniewicz, Shaw Badenhorst, Aleksander Chrószcz, Krzysztof Stegmann, Karolina Barszcz, Dominik Poradowski · 2026
Read Anatomy, histology, and histochemistry of the harderian and lacrimal glands in the great spotted woodpecker (dendrocopos major) by Joanna Klećkowska-Nawrot, Aleksandra Kroczak-Zdańkowska, Adam Urantówka, Grzegorz Zaniewicz, Shaw Badenhorst, Aleksander Chrószcz, Krzysztof Stegmann, Karolina Barszcz, Dominik Poradowski (2026) in the Tower of Babel, a free online library of public-domain works preserved in clean, searchable text. No sign-up. The full text is served as a plain-text file at a predictable URL, where text is present: https://antarctic-labs.com/tower-of-babel/pmc-13582243.txt.
Description
Joanna Kleckowska-Nawrot and eight co-authors describe two tear glands in the great spotted woodpecker, in a 2026 study. The Harderian gland and the tear gland keep the eye surface wet and protected, and they support the bird's third eyelid. These glands are well known in farm birds but poorly described in wild species. The team examined eighteen birds found dead in nature in Poland.
They measured the glands and studied their tissue structure and chemistry in detail. Both glands sat in the usual spots around the eye, and the Harderian gland's secretory units were mostly one cell type. The work gives a baseline map of these glands in a wild woodpecker, useful for vets and for comparing eye anatomy across bird species.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Joanna Klećkowska-Nawrot, Aleksandra Kroczak-Zdańkowska, Adam Urantówka, Grzegorz Zaniewicz, Shaw Badenhorst, Aleksander Chrószcz, Krzysztof Stegmann, Karolina Barszcz, Dominik Poradowski |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 58 KB |
| VERSION | 1.0 |
| LICENSE | CC BY 4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |