How does the beak grow?

A toucan’s beak can serve as decoration, a weapon, or a “long arm” for picking berries.

The beak is the most important tool for birds, indicating their lifestyle and especially their dietary preferences. Finches have sturdy, triangular beaks that can easily crack open seed shells. Insect-eating birds have long, tweezer-like beaks, while raptors can use their hard, hooked beaks to tear the skin of their prey. Bird beaks have an advantage over mammalian jaws: they have evolved into many different shapes. This is why about ten thousand bird species occupy various niches in ecosystems worldwide. Beaks are made of keratin, making them very light and not a hindrance to flight. Although the toucan’s beak makes up one-third of its body length, it accounts for only one-twentieth of its body weight.

Smart Toolmakers

Birds use their beaks not only for feeding but also as their primary tool for nest building and preening. Some birds use other tools as well. For example, thrushes place snail shells on rocks and hammer them like anvils. You might have seen a pile of broken snail shells on a walk; this could be a “thrush’s blacksmith shop”! Experiments have shown that New Caledonian Lagonosticta larvata not only use sticks to fish larvae out of holes but also shape these tools to the right size and length, passing this knowledge to other crows. Previously, it was believed that only primates, including humans and apes, had the ability to make tools.

Lagonosticta larvata

Do Birds Chew?

Birds don’t have teeth, so they can’t chew like humans. However, they must quickly process their food to avoid discomfort during flight and to supply much-needed energy. The crop plays a vital role here: it softens hard-to-digest food before sending it to the stomach. Some birds also swallow small stones to help grind and digest food in their stomachs.