This document discusses bird beak adaptations for feeding. It explains that a bird's beak shape is determined by its diet and can be used to identify birds and infer their feeding behaviors. Common beak shapes include cracker, shredder, probe, chisel, strainer, and spear beaks. Examples are then given of several birds' beak shapes and how they correspond to the birds' diets, including pelicans using their pouch to catch fish, wood ducks having notched beaks to eat plants and insects from water surfaces, and hummingbirds having long, thin beaks to access nectar in tubular flowers.

1. Birds: The Best Beak
A look into the adaptations that help
get birds the food they need.
An LSU Museum of Natural Science presentation to
accompany the activity

2. Bird adaptations- Beaks
The most important function of a bird bill
is feeding, and it is shaped according
to what a bird eats.
You can use a beak shape to:
• Identify a bird
• Identify behavior and think about what
it eats.

3. Common bill shapes
• Cracker
• Shredder
• Probe
• Chisel
• Strainer
• Spear
• Tweezers

4. Pelican
-The pelican has a long beak with
a hooked tip and a huge pouch.
-The pelican’s pouch is used as a
dip net to catch fish.
-The pouch can even stretch to hold
up to two gallons of water!
Pelecanus erythrorhyncho

5. Wood Duck
-Wood ducks have broad, flat
bills with rows of fine
notches along the edge.
-They eat plants,
seeds, grasses and
other small insects and
animals that they find
on or under the water.
Aix sponsa

6. American Robin
-American robins search the
ground for insects and berries.
-They most commonly eat
earthworms, grubs, butterflies,
cherries, and blueberries.
Turdus migratorius

7. Sparrow
-Though sparrows generally
prefer to eat seeds with
hard shells, sometimes they
also eat flowers, insects,
spiders, and berries.
-Sparrows look for food on the
ground or in low bushes.
They sometimes even fly up
to catch insects in flight.
Zonotrichia albicollis

8. Louisiana Heron
-Herons and egrets eat fish,
crustaceans, and insects using
their beak much like a spear.
They often stalk their
prey in shallow water,
often running or shuffling
their feet, flushing prey
into view.
Egretta tricolor

9. Hummingbird
-Hummingbirds have long
beaks that are essential
for reaching into long,
tubular flowers to gather
nectar.
-Hummingbirds’ beaks are also
used to clean their feathers and
to build their nests.
Archilocus colubris
Selasphoprus rufus

10. Dropper
beak
(Compte-
gouttes)
Tweezer
beak
(Pince à
épiler)
Nutcracker
bea
(casse-noix)
Clothespin
beak
(Pince à linge)
Strainer
beak
(Passoire)
Tongs
beak
(Pinces)
Total food
collected
(Quantité de
nourriture
collectée)
Nectar
Tree
insects
Seeds
(Graines)
Fish
Grubs
(Vers)
Aquatic
plants
Example of data table for amount of food collected at station with utensils (beak-
type).
Exemple de tableau à double entrée: quantité de nourriture collectée pour
chaque atelier, avec les ustensiles (=type de bec)