SUMMARY: This study was aimed at determining the morphology of the aortic arch in the sparrowhawk. For this purpose, arteries near the heart of six sparrowhawks were assessed. Latex injection method was applied to the three materials and barium sulphate solution was injected into the aorta for angiography in three other materials. It was observed that two major arteries arose from aortic arch in the sparrowhawk: the left brachiocephalic trunk and the right brachiocephalic trunk. These trunks were contiguous arteries but separately originated from the aorta. The brachiocephalic trunks were divided into the common carotid and subclavian arteries after their origins. First, the common carotid arteries are given off by the brachiocephalic trunks. The common carotid artery was giving off esophagotracheobronchial artery and vertebral trunk. Vertebral trunk was locating under the brachial plexus. The subclavian artery was continuations of the brachiocephalic trunk and it was bifurcating to the axillar artery and the pectoral trunk just from its own beginning. The axillary artery passed the brachial plexus crosswise from above, and reached to the wing. The sternoclavicular artery stemmed from ventral aspect of the begining of the axillary artery. The thickest branch of the subclavian artery was the pectoral trunk, which was branched the cranial external thoracic artery, the caudal external thoracic artery, the dorsal thoracic artery, and the internal thoracic artery. It is hoped that the results of this morphological study will contribute to the species specific anatomical data in the birds.
KEY WORDS: Sparrowhawk; Accipiter nisus; Aortic arch; Brachiocephalic trunk.
