DID YOU EVER WONDER WHY SO MANY BIRD BEAKS?

1. DID YOU EVER WONDER WHY SO MANY BIRD BEAKS? Do people have a variety of mouths or teeth for eating? Why or why not?

2. Cracker Style Seed eaters like sparrows and cardinals have a short, thick cone-shaped beak (bill) for cracking seeds.

3. Shredder Type Birds of prey like hawks and owls have a sharp, curved bill for tearing meat (prey)

4. Chisel Type • Woodpeckers have bills that are long and chisel-like for holing (boring) into wood to eat insects.

5. Probe Stlye • Hummingbirds bills are long and slender for probing flowers for nectar.

6. Strainer type • Some ducks have a long, flat beak that strains small plants and animals from the water.

7. Strainer (cont’d) • Along the inside of the beak they have tiny rows of plates called lamellae like a whale's baleen. These let them filter water out of the side of their beaks and keep food inside.

8. Spear Type • Birds like heron and kingfish have spear-like beaks adapted for fishing

9. Tweezer Type • Insect eaters like warblers have a thin pointed beak.

10. Swiss Army Knife • Crows have a multi-purpose beak that allows them to eat fruit, seeds, insects, fish, and other animals.

11. Beaks At A Glance