1. A look into the adaptations that help get birds the food they need.
Birds: The Best Beak
A look into the adaptations that help get birds the food they need.
An LSU Museum of Natural Science presentation to accompany the activity

2. Bird adaptations- Beaks
The most important function of a bird bill is feeding, and it is shaped according to what a bird eats.
You can use a beak shape to:
Identify a bird
Identify behavior and think about what it eats.

3. Common bill shapes Cracker Shredder Probe Chisel Strainer Spear
Tweezers

4. Pelican -The pelican has a long beak with
a hooked tip and a huge pouch.
-The pelican’s pouch is used as a dip net to catch fish.
Pelecanus erythrorhyncho
-The pouch can even stretch to hold
up to two gallons of water!

5. Wood Duck
-Wood ducks have broad, flat bills with rows of fine notches along the edge.
-They eat plants, seeds, grasses and other small insects and animals that they find on or under the water.
Aix sponsa

6. American Robin -American robins search the
ground for insects and berries.
-They most commonly eat
earthworms, grubs, butterflies, cherries, and blueberries.
Turdus migratorius

7. Sparrow
Zonotrichia albicollis
-Though sparrows generally prefer to eat seeds with hard shells, sometimes they also eat flowers, insects, spiders, and berries.
-Sparrows look for food on the ground or in low bushes. They sometimes even fly up to catch insects in flight.

8. Louisiana Heron
-Herons and egrets eat fish, crustaceans, and insects using their beak much like a spear.
They often stalk their prey in shallow water, often running or shuffling their feet, flushing prey into view.
Egretta tricolor

9. Hummingbird
-Hummingbirds have long beaks that are essential for reaching into long, tubular flowers to gather nectar.
Archilocus colubris
-Hummingbirds’ beaks are also
used to clean their feathers and to build their nests.
Selasphoprus rufus

10. Dropper beak
(Compte-gouttes)
Tweezer beak
(Pince à épiler)
Nutcracker bea
(casse-noix)
Clothespin beak
(Pince à linge)
Strainer beak
(Passoire)
Tongs beak
(Pinces)
Total food collected
(Quantité de nourriture collectée)
Nectar
Tree insects
Seeds
(Graines)
Fish
Grubs
(Vers)
Aquatic plants
Example of data table for amount of food collected at station with utensils (beak-type). Exemple de tableau à double entrée: quantité de nourriture collectée pour chaque atelier, avec les ustensiles (=type de bec)