What can its beak shape tell you about a bird?

To begin with, it is worth saying that the functions of the beak can be really many, which undoubtedly affects the variety of forms. Some birds need it for grabbing prey, dismembering it. To someone for touch, attack or defense, to others and at all for chiseling, digging, probing the ground.

For example, in birds of prey and carrion birds, the beak is mainly powerful and has a curved sharp shape. This is due to the need for crushing or cutting meat into pieces.

But a long and thin beak, like that of a heron or stork, is necessary for obtaining food from the bottom of reservoirs in shallow water, from under rocks or in dense thickets of bushes.

Small forest birds often have a short and rounded beak, because they need it in order to peck plant seeds.

One of the most unusual forms of the beak has a tick. Its beak is crisscrossed and looks more like ticks. With such a beak, it is hardly possible to catch an insect or pick up seeds from the ground. But you can easily gut the cones, foraging for food.

Thus, the shape of the beak can tell us about the nature of the bird's diet and lifestyle.

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