Welcome to another Monday everybody! Lets see lovely photos that focus on the beaks of our bird life. They come in all sorts of shapes and sizes and tell us alot about the birds themselves.
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I heard recently that a Pelican can hold up to as much as 14 litres of water in it's bill.
Samford Valley Qld.
That photo's really interesting Reflex.
Do you know what the appendage at the bottom of the bill is there?
I wonder if it has to do with draining water from the bill somehow?
Cheers
Tim
Brisbane
Sorry Tim. I'm not sure what that is to be honest.
Samford Valley Qld.
M-L
"Heaven, I'm in heaven....... When we're out together dancing beak to beak".... (with apologies to Irving Berlin).
Well, out together nibbling gumnuts anyway. Red tailed cockatoo pair.
I was going to use a honeyeater and make a reference to a sticky beak but my favourite beak is the Beach Stone-curlew
Peter
Laughing Kookaburra!
The beautiful black beak of a Glossy Black.
Beautiful pic, Owl and very timely.
I have just been discussing getting involved in Glossy Black Birding Day this year.
For those of you who are interested and are in SEQ/Northern NSW, there is a birding day coming up on May 3, 2015.
Details can be found here: http://www.glossyblack.org.au/gbcday_registration.html
Sorry for the hijack...
...as you were, folks
Cheers
Tim
Brisbane
The fascinatingly mottled beak of a Tawny Frogmouth.
Cheers
Tim
Brisbane
Thanks Timmo, great info.
A comparison of a young female Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo - white beak will turn dark with use/age.
Majestic & huge beak of a Black Currawong.
West Coast Tasmania
Now, that's a beak
M-L
When does a beak become a bill or a bill become beak? Is there a difference?
Paradise Riflebird (female) the key factor in design here I'd say, is based on the need for an instrument to obtain food in an efficient manner.
Samford Valley Qld.
Good question. In the human world it seems to be a case of "the fancier the food, the bigger the bill".... But I'm not sure what applies in the bird world.
I tried to find out what the difference was a few weeks ago but the answers I found weren't consistent or definitive. In general, it seemed that "beak" was a common term that covered all birds and was understood by everybody. It was even used for some non-bird creatures. Dolphins, octopus, some dinosaur, etc
And "bill" was used for some birds and not others, although exactly when and why seemed open for debate. Some version of this was popular "especially used when the beak is slender, flattened or weak, or belongs to a web-footed bird or a bird of the pigeon family.". But a platypus has a bill too.... So usage proably varies depending on who is talking.
But I expect somebody here has a more precise definition.
My definition is that a beak is relatively pointy, and a bill is not - and waterbirds are generally the owners of bills. But I'll stress that there is no scientific basis to my definition whatsoever
. Be interesting to know what the official definitive scientific definition is for sure.
West Coast Tasmania
That's pretty much what I always thought too. Bills being rounder and belonging to water birds. So I'm not sure where and how pigeons snuck in there. Doves "bill and coo" and spinebills are honeyeaters with pointy beaks. So who knows.
Wikipedia gives three terms - beak, bill or rostrum (didn't know that one) and says that "beak" was originally applied to birds of prey, but then says: " in modern ornithology, the terms 'beak' and 'bill' are generally considered to be synonymous"
Thats great info Chris & Annie.
One of lifes many mysteries to ponder
He's a beak of a Purple swamp hen.
Pretty solid considering it mainly eats vegitation
That is the Pelicans Trachaea or wind pipe.
Just like a python, it uses this to beathe while it is swallowing large prey.
I couldn't find a good clear answer but I thought this one was the most helpfull...
http://theboard.byu.edu/questions/75204/
Samford Valley Qld.
First one didn't work. Laughing Kookaburra :)
I discovered some interesting facts about birds beaks whilst I was looking for the definition between beak and bill.
Birds' bills continue to grow throughout the birds lives, this is necessary to replace the wearing that inevitably occurs at the tips.
Barn Owl's are very well equipped.
Samford Valley Qld.
This beak is made for jabbing
You've attached the wrong factsheet ungb. it's an Australian Magpie!
To complete the comparison of cockatoo beaks, here's, in my opinion, the least pretty beak of the 3, from the Sulphur-crested Cockatoo.
Thanks for pointing out the error Owl.This one is more like the Australian Raven :)
Great photos everyone! now here's a long beak/bill
Sulphur Crested Cockatoo. Beautiful and deadly beak.
sorry Owl. I didn't see your post. Oh well, I'll find somthing a little different by the end of the week.
Rob.
Awesome pic of the swamp hen Dev. You got nice and close for that shot!
Rob.
It's alright Rob, provides a new angle.
I WAS going to post a Swamphen too, but looks like Devster beat me too it
Had to post the Bassian Thrush again, the beak is very prominent.
Nice shot owl. I was walking around the botanical gardens and spotted a large flock of cockatoos this arvo. This guy came up closer than the others for a portrait :)
Rob.
I love the Sooty Oystercatcher's beak and they are certainly effective. I was watching a group of them Caloundra last week and they were having a great time eating very well.
Cockatoos are such characters when they're feeding, getting into any position to get the tasty treats, sometimes I'm sure they do it just for pure fun too
.
This male Fairy Penguin has an impressive schnoz I think.
West Coast Tasmania
How about a French Kiss, anyone?
This is an impressive beak..........
Samford Valley Qld.
Thanks robwill. He did let me get closer than I expected. They are normally very flighty.
I don't think we can go past this challenge without including the Eastern Spinebill.
This is how I use my beak.
Mark
They are handy for preening as well......
Samford Valley Qld.
The long pointy beak of a White-faced Heron.
West Coast Tasmania
I'm losing track of all these beaut posts, just saw your Wedgie Reflex, just love them, spectacular capture!
West Coast Tasmania
Popular topic this week good stuff!
Female White-throated Treecreeper with some goodies for the chicks.
Thanks Annie.I woke up at silly o'clock again last Sunday morning and couldn't resist this silhouette shot of an Ibis. Very distinctive bill even in this light.
Samford Valley Qld.
I think for the size of the bird, finches beaks are impressive.
The shiny menaceing beak of a juvenille crow.
Rob.
The Tawny Grassbird has a bill nothing like a finch's or a crow, or a honeyeater but just right for picking up insects.
Samford Valley Qld.
Beaks can get a little sticky
West Coast Tasmania
Reflex, Isn't that a Golden Cisticola?
Forest Ravens beak looks the goods.
Samford Valley Qld.