Hobbies And Interests
Long Beaks or Bills
Some species of birds have long, thin bills. The heron has a long thick beak like a spear. Herons prey on fish, shell fish, and frogs. The heron uses its spear to stab its prey before swallowing it. The curlew is a species of birds that feeds on worms. It has a long, slender beak with a curve at the end that it uses to probe loose, shoreline land for its food. Other birds are more herbivores than carnivores. The hummingbird, for instance, adapted its long thin bill to suck nectar out of flowers for its food.
Beaks That Scoop
Flamingos are shore birds that feed on small fish like shrimp. Although different species of flamingos have adapted different shapes of beaks, all flamingos use their beaks to scoop food from shallow water and marshes. This adaptation allows them to gather food. Pelicans also prey on fish, but do so by flying over water and scooping up larger fish from large bodies of water. Pelicans have adapted much larger scoops in their beaks to meet their needs.
Raptors
Raptors are birds of prey, meaning that they feed on flesh. Unlike birds that swallow their prey whole, raptors tear flesh from the animals that they eat. There are several species of raptors, such as eagles, hawks and turkeys, and the shapes of the beaks on each species has adapted to the type of flesh the particular raptor feeds on. In the instance of the turkey, there are species of turkeys that have also developed a sense of smell to find their prey, an adaptation not seen generally in birds.
Tougher Work
Birds like woodpeckers have adapted their beaks to be able to bore wood to get to the insects on which they feed. The woodpecker's beak is sturdy and works like a drill. The brown creeper has a thin beak that curves downward. It uses this beak to probe under loose bark on trees to find insects and spiders. The cardinal has adapted a short, stout beak that it uses like humans use a nutcracker, breaking open the tough shells to get to the meat of the nut.