Identification of birds by beaks

Hornbill Beak

                  Identification of birds by beaks 

          By looking at the beaks, we can not always identify the species accurately but can identify which group that bird can belong. There are many types of Kingfishers or Woodpeckers and all the Kingfishers or Woodpeckers have almost same types of beak. So observing the beaks of it we can say only that this bird is a kind of Kingfisher or Woodpecker but can't identify the particular species 

                   Introduction of Birds beaks

         It is a  different types of birds mouths, made up of jaws covered by horny mandibles. They do not contain teeth.Beaks are covered by a horny layer of keratin which is the material by which the nails or horn of a rhinoceros are made.

                 What are the different types of beaks?

          There are  more than 18,000 different species of birds. All birds have one beak, but it has evolved   their shape due to food habit, for mating ,defending themselves or for  nests building process.  Bird beaks are divided according to their shape and the function.
          We can divide the beaks in seven types according to their  shapes though  bird may have some combination such as cone-shape and long. The 7 basic bill shapes are: Cone, Dagger, Decurved, Hooked, Long, Needle-like and Spatulate .

Pictorial present of different types of beaks

                 Division of beaks according food habit

        We can divide birds beaks in seven different categories according the food they generally take. Those are as bellow
    1)Wading birds
    2) Granivorous bird
    3) Frugivorous birds
    4) Insectivorous birds
    5) Carnivorous birds
    6) Piscivorous birds
    7) Filter feeding birds
    8) Nectarivorous birds

               Wading birds

            Generally  Waterfowls are included in this group. Those birds belong to this group has long beaks with spoon like shapes, adapted to searching for invertebrates at the bottom of ponds and marshes, while keeping their heads out of the water. The Stork or Spoonbill are good examples of this type of bird.

Spoonbill (Wading Bird)

                 Granivorous birds

          This group of birds feed mainly on seeds.  their beaks are  short, robust and ends in a conical shape, allowing them to break seeds. Sparrows and Finches have this typed of beak.

House Sparrow (Granivorous Bird)

                Frugivorous birds

          Those birds are feed on fruit is called Frugivorous birds.  These birds  also like seeds. Their beaks are specifically build to break the nut  to obtain the pulp or seeds. They usually have a short, curved beak with a specialised tip for extracting the edible part of the seeds.
    The lower part of this type of beak is flat and sharp, ideal for cracking the hard fruits. Moreover, they can move  the upper part of the beak independently. This allows them to give more pressure  to break seeds and fruit or to hold on to branches. Parrots, parakeets, cockatoos and macaws are all in this group.

Rose ringed Parakeet
(Frugivorous Bird)

                  Insectivorous birds

           Generally these birds feed on insects. There are two methods of hunting insects. One type is that birds  hunt insects in the air while flying with their mouths open. Therefore, their  beaks are usually short, wide and flat.  Swallow and the Swift are good example who have of this type of beaks.  Other type of hunting is that  birds prefer to catch insects when they are still. These birds have short, straight, thin beaks. A good example of birds  are  the Bee-eater or Robin.

Chestnut headed Bee-eater
(Insectivorous Bird)

                    Carnivorous birds

            Birds belong to this group feed on vertebrates and have strong, hooked beaks with the upper part protruding over the lower part. They use it to tear and pull the flesh of their prey. Birds of prey such as eagles and falcons, and scavengers such as vultures are a clear example of this.

Goshwak (Carnivorous Bird)

                Piscivorous birds

          These birds feed on fish.There is also two types of bird which  catch fish in two different ways from water bodies. Those who  catch  fish by diving into the water have large, strong beaks with a curved tip or serrated ridges which prevent their prey from escaping. This group includes birds like Kingfisher,Cormorants etc.  In other cases, such as pelicans, who have a flexible pouch beneath the beak, where they can store fish once they have been caught.

Pelican (Piscivorous Bird)

                Filter feeding birds

          These birds have wide, flat beaks. In some cases, such as flamingos, they are very specialised in obtaining food from pond and riverbeds. These beaks have a filtering system whereby the bird removes the water and separates out the organisms on which these birds feed. Swans and ducks are also in this group.

Flamingo (Filter feeding Bird)

                 Nectarivorous birds

          These birds feed on the nectar of the flowers by inserting their beaks inside them. They have thin, long beaks, and  the shape of beak vary depending on the kind of flowers they feed on. Different types Sun birds, Hummingbirds are good example.

Purple Sunbird (Nectarivorous Bird)

Birds with different types of beaks