Introduction to Beaks and Claws of Birds
Birds are flying creatures that have wings. There are different types of birds on our planet Earth. Birds of different colors and have different types of beaks. Every country has its own types of birds on the basis of climate.
Birds feed upon grains, seeds, fruits and flesh. Beak of birds helps them in catching and holding the food. Birds' beaks shape and size depends on the basis of its food habits. Birds build their own nests and give birth to young ones in those nests.
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Different Types of Beaks of Birds and Classification of Birds According to their Beaks
Crushing Beak
There are many birds that have crushing beaks. These beaks are short and hard. Birds having crushing beaks use its beak for crushing grains and seeds to make it soft.
Pigeons and sparrows are examples of crushing beaks.
Curved Beak
Many birds have curved beaks which are the type of beaks that have curved front. These curved beaks help birds in cracking nuts and fruits.
Parrots are the example of curved beaks which have curved beaks.
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Piercing and Tearing Beak
Many birds have piercing and tearing beaks and these birds feed on flesh of other animals. These beaks are hard, strong and curved in structure and help the birds to pierce and tear the flesh of other animals.
Eagle and vulture are examples of birds that have piercing and tearing beaks.
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Sifting Beak
There are many birds that have sifting beaks. These beaks are flat and broad. Sifting beaks have small holes on both sides and hence can be identified easily. The birds that have sifting beaks can feed on small insects and worms in muddy water, water flows through the holes and traps the insects and worms.
Ducks are the example of having sifting beaks.
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Chiseling Beak
Many birds have chiseling beaks which are long, straight and strong. Birds which have these beaks pick insects from the wood and feed on them. These birds are usually seen tapping its beak on the trunk of the trees. Woodpeckers are examples of birds that have chiseling beaks.
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Sticky Beak
Many birds have sticky beaks and these birds feed on small insects that stick on their beaks. These are small, broad and strong and help the birds to catch insects during flying.
Swallows are the birds that have sticky beaks.
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Feet and Claws of Birds
Birds like many other living organisms have feet and claws which help them in walking, climbing, holding foods, swimming and perching. Many birds use their claws for self defense, as the claws of the birds are pretty sharp and have long curved nails. The shape of bird’s feet and claws depend on the food habits. There are different types of feet and claws and different birds have different structures on the basis of their requirements.
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Solved Questions
1. What is the reason that Birds have beaks or what are the uses of beaks?
Ans: Beak is a very important part of a bird. Beaks help birds to capture food in the form of small insects and worms. With the help of beaks birds make their own nests. Birds feed food to their young ones with the help of the beak itself. Birds eat their own food also with the help of the beak. Different birds have different types of beaks according to their requirements.
2. Why do different birds have different types of beaks?
Ans: Birds have different types of beaks on the basis of their requirements of food and shelter. Different types of birds feed on different sources of food. For example, some birds can catch fish from the sea and some birds can catch insects and worms from the land. Some birds can also feed on the trunk of the wood. Also, different birds form their own different kinds of nests and hence, the beak is modified to fulfill the requirements.
Fun Facts
Mostly all the prey birds have hook tipped beaks that are sharp and curved claws which are called talons. Claws can be defined as pointed and curved nails on the toes or hands of animals. On the other hand talons are sharp, hooked claws found in birds of prey. Therefore, we can conclude that all talons are claws, but not all claws are talons.
Summary
Birds do not have teeth, rather birds have beaks and claws. We can summarize that different kinds of birds have different kinds of beaks and claws. Beaks of the birds help in picking up the food and to protect from the enemies. Whereas, the claws help in catching, holding and eating food. The claws also help the birds in walking, swimming and climbing.
Learning By Doing
Look around your garden at school or at home, how many types of birds can you spot?
How many different types of beaks do these birds have?
Do you also find different types of claws in these birds?
Trying to name these birds with the help of this article.
FAQs on Different Types of Beaks and Claws of Birds
1. What kind of birds have hard and horny beaks?
Horny, short, and hard horny beaks can be found in sparrows, pigeons, peacocks and finches which eat nuts, grains and seeds. These birds use their beaks in order to break the food into small pieces with their beaks and they also use them to drive away other birds.
2. What kind of beak does a parrot have?
Parrots have beaks which are known as hooked beaks. Hooked beak helps the parrot to crack nuts and hard fruits. The curved part of the beak helps the parrots to eat even hard and unripe fruits.
3. What kind of claws do preying birds have?
Preying birds like the eagle, hank and owl have very strong and sharp claws which help them to catch and hold their prey very firmly. These birds may carry their prey to long distances.
