What Is the Relationship Between a Bird's Type of Beak and the Type of Food It Eats?

Emus

• Wild emus (Dromaius novaehollandiae) are omnivores, though they chiefly eat plant material. Emu beaks are short, pointed and very strong. Despite this rugged design, emu beaks are nimble enough to allow them to be picky; emus will selectively consume the most nutritious food sources and disregard dried grasses and other low-nutrition plants. They have serrated lower margins that help them rip bite-size portions of vegetation from plants.

Ducks

• Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos), the species from which domestic ducks originate; have soft, pliable beaks, often called bills. Inside the margin of these ducks' beaks are numerous fringe-like projections that allow the ducks to strain food particles from mud and water. Ducks will suck a quantity of mud or water into their mouths and then expel the water, leaving small invertebrates and plant material in the mouth. Some ducks will consume items like acorns or pellets; they manipulate these with their beaks and swallow them hole.

Chickens

• Chickens are domestic descendants of red jungle fowl (Gallus gallus) of southeast Asia, and their feeding behavior is largely similar. Chickens' beaks stout, conical and sharp. This makes them well suited for scratching and pecking; chickens and their wild relatives are omnivores who consume grain, seeds, fruit and insects. The sharpness of the beaks allows for targeted pecking and serves in social interactions.

Macaws, Parrots and Their Relatives

• Macaws and their relatives have hard, strong beaks for crushing nuts and seeds. Additionally, macaws will consume fruit, insects, snails and parts of plants. Macaws' beaks are strong enough to open Brazil nuts or seriously injure a human's fingers. Macaws use their beaks as grasping appendages for many tasks, and their tongues even have a bone in them that helps them manipulate items with their mouths.

Toucans

• The toucan is noteworthy for his peculiar beak. The tonglike capabilities of the beak help him reach difficult-to-access fruit, but the beak has at least one other function. A study published in a 2009 issue of the journal "Science" and led by biologist Glenn Tattersall of Brock University in St. Catherines, Ontario, explained that a toucan's beak works as an effective radiator of heat. The bird's blood flow pattern in his beak alters to regulate internal temperature. In at least this case, the beak's shape and structure are not solely related to the bird's food.

Zebra Finches

• Zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) adapt well to humans but are found in their wild form in parts of Australia. These finches' stout, conical beaks are well-suited for crushing seeds. Their well-adapted beaks offer flexibility; wild zebra finches consume insects during breeding season to help obtain sufficient calories and protein.

Hawks, Owls and Raptors

• Hawks and other raptors aren̵7;t common pets, but falconers and wildlife educators often keep them in captivity. Raptors of all shapes and sizes consume rodents and other small animals. All birds of prey have relatively similar, sharp beaks well adapted for ripping flesh. Being able to rip or cut flesh is important, as large prey items must be cut into smaller pieces before they can be swallowed.