The furcula is the name of some fork-like structures in animal anatomy:
Birds
In
birds, the furcula is a forked
bone which is formed by the fusion of the two
clavicles in most modern
birds and some
theropod dinosaur species, first appearing in the
archosaur Longisquama *. Its modern function is the strengthening of the
thoracic skeleton to withstand the rigors of
flight.
It is also commonly referred to as a wishbone because of the tradition that when two people hold the two sides of the bone and pull it apart, the one who gets the larger part will have a wish granted.
Arthropods
In
springtails, the furcula is an
abdominal, tail-like appendage that is present in most species and is folded beneath the body, to be used for jumping when the animal is threatened.
Animal anatomy | Birds