The Coffee House

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Beak and bill can be used interchangeably. Bills constantly grow throughout a bird's life. The bill is covered in a thin covering made of keratin (or more specifically, rhamphotheca). Some bills have little bristles around them to help funnel insects into their throats (this is most prominent in Caprimulgiformes). Nestling bills are generally more soft to allow their parents to receive food for them. Adult bills are harder, allowing them to hunt, preen or do other daily activities. Most birds cannot open their lower half of their bills because it is attached to their skull (parrots may be an exception). Birds bills are also very sensitive, the Pied Avocet can feel the slightest change in the water. The Sword-billed Hummingbird has the largest bill compared to its body size!

 

The Sword-billed Hummingbird has to keep its bill at a steep angle in order to balance when perching.



All birds in Procellariiformes, such as this short-tailed albatross, have a structure on their bills called nasicorns (their nostrils).



The New World vultures' nostrils are not separated with a septum.



No other bird has an upper mandible shorter than that of the lower mandible, such in the skimmer (like this Black Skimmer).



The Wrybill is the only bird with its bill bent sideways.

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Made it nice and large so you can read it. 



Species shown

Generalist: House Crow (Corvus splendens)
Insect catching: Stylized flycatcher based on Brown Flycatcher (Muscicapa dauurica)
Grain eating: Eurasian Bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyrrhula)
Coniferous-seed eating: Red Crossbill (Loxia curvirostra)
Nectar feeding: stylized Sunbird (based on Nectarinia)
Fruit eating: Keel-billed Toucan (Ramphastos sulfuratus)
Chiseling: White-bellied Woodpecker (Dryocopus javensis)
Dip netting: Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis)
Surface skimming: Black Skimmer (Rynchops niger)
Scything: Pied Avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta)
Probing: Ibisbill (Ibidorhyncha struthersii)
Filter feeding: Carribean Flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber)
Aerial fishing: White-throated Kingfisher (Halcyon smyrnensis)
Pursuit fishing: Red-breasted Merganser female (Mergus serrator)
Scavenging: Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture (Cathartes burrovianus)
Raptorial stylized based on Accipiter


References

Francis, Peter, et al (2007). Bird: The Definitive Visual Guide. pp. 38-39.

Wikipedia, for the images.

Interesting stuff!

I did not know that most birds couldn't open the lower halves of their bills. Anthropomorphic birds in popular culture do that all the time, so I guess those cartoons I watched were lying to me there ?

(10-15-2018, 06:21 PM)Kyng Wrote: [ -> ]Interesting stuff!

I did not know that most birds couldn't open the lower halves of their bills. Anthropomorphic birds in popular culture do that all the time, so I guess those cartoons I watched were lying to me there ?

Yes, it's a cartoon anyway, so in no one accurate. lol