Introduction
Birds is a member of
Aves, a group of animals in the animal kingdom having more than
18,000 distinct species. Of the various highlights that are normal to all
birds, perhaps the most significant is their beak. Every bird has one, but each
species has evolved a distinct beak to boost its potential in the context of
its particular life. These capacities include taking care of themselves,
protecting themselves, breeding, controlling their internal heat levels or
building their nests.
What is a bird beak?
In
terms of genetics, it is a mouth type that has no teeth and has a juicy coating
of a protein called keratin.
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| Maxilla - Upper Jaw & Mandible - Lower Jaw |
A beak is used for eating and preening (preening is bird
maintenance that includes beaks being used to place their feathers in the right
place), handling items, attacking prey, combat and checking of food, courtesy
and feeding of newly born.
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Bird beak bone structure
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Although sizes, form, colour and texture differ greatly
between beaks, they share a common underlying structure. The mandible and maxilla
are the two moving bone projections that form a beak.
What are the different types of beaks?
Bird beaks are usually graded according to type and feature.
There are various kinds of beaks according to the bird’s classification:-
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| Carnivorous birds have hooked beaks |
1. Carnivorous birds have Hooked beaks:
Owls, eagles, hawks
and other carnivorous birds that tear flesh with their beaks. They're meat
eaters normally.
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| Piscivorous birds have large, long, and strong beaks |
2. Piscivorous birds have large, long, and strong beaks:
The
birds feed on fish which they capture by immersing themselves in the water.
Birds like pelicans, albatrosses and seagulls eat fish have long curved beaks
to capture fish to keep it from fleeing. The pouch on a beak of pelican helps
to store the fish in it by taking large chunks of water. Herons and Cranes have
long, sturdy beaks to capture fish.
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| Frugivorous birds have Short, curved beaks |
3. Frugivorous birds have Short, curved beaks:
The group of
birds that feed on fruit can also feed on seeds. Parrots and macaws have short
curved beaks to split open hard fruits and nuts.
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| Insectivorous birds have Straight, thin beaks |
4. Insectivorous birds have Straight, thin beaks:
These
group of birds feed on insects, capture insects in the air with their mouths open.
Bee-eaters and Robins excel in capturing and consuming insects with their
straight, slender beaks. Woodpeckers, too, have strong thin beaks to peck at
wood to catch bugs.
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| Nectarivorous birds have Long, thin, needle-like beaks |
5. Nectarivorous birds have Long, thin, needle-like beaks:
These birds feed on the nectar of the flowers by placing their beaks inside.
Nectar feeders, such as Hummingbirds, tend to have small, long beaks, but the
form can differ based on the kind of flowers they feed on.
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| Filter feeding birds have Wide, flat beaks |
6. Filter feeding birds have Wide, flat beaks:
These birds
feed on organisms originating from wetlands and river beds. Filter feeders,
such as flamingoes, swans and ducks, have a filtering mechanism in their beaks
to extract soil from wetlands and river beds.
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| Wading birds have Spatulate beaks |
7. Wading birds have Spatulate beaks:
These group of birds
feeds on invertebrates. Wading birds, such as spoonbills, have big, long beaks
that allow them to pick up molluscs and other animals from the bottoms of ponds
and marshes while holding their heads out of the water.
8. Granivorous birds:-
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| Granivorous birds having Cone-shaped beak |
- Granivorous birds having Cone-shaped beaks: Goldfinches,
sparrows and canaries are some strong examples of this category of birds. These
community of birds feeds primarily on seeds. They have a small, sturdy beak,
which ends in a conical shape, enabling them to split open seeds.
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| Granivorous birds having Crossbill beaks |
- Granivorous birds having Crossbill beaks: These birds feed
on nutritious seeds in oak, hemlock, Douglas fir and spruce cones. Red Cross
Bill tips may look strange, but it's a clever adaptation to get seeds out of
closed pine cones.
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| Bird having Multifunctional beaks |
9. Bird having Multifunctional beaks:
A Toco Toucan beak is
not just a display, this multi-purpose appendage can be used to gather and skin
fruits, scare predators, attract a mate, and protect the ground. The latest
study has also shown that it also helps keep the birds cooler in the middle of
the tropical day.
To find: What is a Origami and it's importance 👉 click here
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| Source: Grammarly |
Thought of the day:
“To Err is Human, to Edit is Divine”
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