Bird Beak Facts

Beaks Are Useful For So Many Things!

By Richard Worden

You might think that bird beaks aren’t the most exciting topic or even feature to observe in a bird; however, this couldn’t be further from the truth. What are they made of; do they break easily; do they have teeth? There are so many bird beak facts questions to answer.

Birds use their beaks for almost everything, from feeding to carving nests inside trees. That’s why bird beaks are extremely powerful because they’re made from bone and keratin. However, birds can still break their beaks, which usually means they don’t have good chances for survival.

In this article, you’ll find every question about bird beaks answered. Continue reading to learn all the amazing info about birds’ “lips.”

What Are Bird Beaks Made Of?

Bird Beaks are made of two bone structures: the upper and lower jaw. Those bones are additionally covered with a layer of keratin that gives them strength and a shiny surface. Although there are many shapes of bird beaks, they’re all made from these two essential materials.

Bird beaks are essentially similar to some human body parts in terms of the material of their beaks. Almost all animals, including humans, have a bone structure - the main component of bird beaks. However, apart from that, birds and humans are similar in another element - keratin.

Humans also have keratin on their bodies, and you look at it all the time - our nails and hair are made from keratin. That certainly explains why our nails, hair, and bird beaks are all slightly shiny.

Just like with our hair and nails, keratin on bird beaks can regenerate, meaning it’s constantly growing over the bone structure. By the way, these two bone parts have their sciency names:

• Premaxillary (upper) bone
• Mandibular (lower) bone
  
  

Are Birds Born With Beaks?

Birds are born with beaks formed during their fetal development inside eggs. As a matter of fact, baby birds use their beaks to make a crack in the eggshell when they’re ready to hatch. Beaks are bone structures, so they need to form before the hatching period.

Baby birds usually have yellow beaks when they hatch, but this depends on the particular species. Additionally, with many baby birds, it’s quite common that they’ll have disproportionately big beaks for their small heads. 

Because beaks are made of bones, birds develop theirs while still in the egg. The same applies to eyes, for instance, although eyes are generally closed upon hatching. Beaks, however, remain constantly open - screaming for more food all the time. bird beak facts

What Does a Bird Beak Do?

Birds use their beaks mainly for feeding. However, every beak is multi-functional and can also be used to grab things that aren’t food, defend against predators and other birds, and communicate with other birds. Additionally, the first function birds use their beaks for is to hatch from their egg.

When you have wings instead of arms, you have to be creative, so beaks are a toolbox birds use for almost anything, even for flying (to some extent). The shape of a beak often determines if a bird is good with aerodynamics because long and pointy beaks are better for flying. 

It doesn’t stop there! Toco toucan’s beak actually regulates this bird’s body temperature by releasing or keeping the heat coming from the toucan’s blood. I knew there was a good reason to have such a big beak!

How Are Different Types of Beaks Useful for Birds?

Different types of beaks are useful for birds because various bird species have different needs in terms of food and living conditions, so they primarily use beaks to adapt to their surroundings.

Bird beaks are to birds what mouths are to humans - they eat and “talk” with them, but bird beak facts are so much more.

Birds use beaks to:

• Build things, like their nests
• Break things, like various nuts to eat the seed
• Defend themselves
• Preening (or: cleaning their feathers)
• Make holes in things (usually trees)

Because of all these functions, birds developed beaks unique to their needs. Hummingbirds have long beaks for nectar, eagles have sharp beaks to rip meat, and pelicans have net-like beaks to catch fish - the list goes on and on. 

How Do Birds Use Their Beaks?

Birds usually use their beaks to extract food from certain places. In that sense, bird beaks are somewhat limited since beaks become useless in certain situations that a bird species isn’t accustomed to.

Every bird species has a unique beak design and functionality that limits them from using those beaks for specific functions. This is best seen with extracting food. In this sense, birds mostly use their beaks to:

• Open seeds
• Catch insects
• Get to the nectar
• Break fruit
• Eat meat

Apart from this, we also have birds that are meat-eaters that can:

• Catch fish like a net (pelicans)
• Catch fish by submerging their beaks in water (stork)
• Catch land animals (eagle) 
  
  

How Do Birds Eat With Their Beaks?

Different bird species eat different types of food, but most birds eat their food in the same way. They have to break their food into smaller pieces because birds don’t chew their food. Therefore, they only swallow small pieces of food to digest. 

Carnivorous birds have sharp beaks that are usually either long or with the upper beak curved to a sharp point. They use those sharp beaks to kill a game and tear meat apart. 

And then there are hummingbirds - those tiny, cute, and fast birds with really long beaks (and tongues) that help them suck the nectar from flowers. If you’re interested in them, here’s a video where you can see hummingbirds in slow-motion (otherwise, good luck seeing one with a naked eye):

This YouTube video shows and explains
how hummingbirds use their beaks to eat...

Do Bird Beaks Grow?

Beaks grow continuously as a bird develops from a chick to a grown bird. There are also instances of beaks overgrowing, which usually happens with parrots. Overgrown beaks occur with pet birds or due to some health issue. You should bring your bird to the vet for trimming or a prescribed diet. 

As we learned already, bird beaks have a layer of keratin, and it just doesn’t want to stop growing, be it our nails, hair, or bird beaks. Birds in the wild are completely fine with this, however, because they constantly scratch, crack and wear out their beaks through various activities. So, it’s actually good that keratin regenerates itself. 

Unfortunately, our pet birds don’t have to use their beaks all that much except for eating cleaned and prepared food, and because of that, their beaks just keep growing. Apart from that, overgrown (and dry) beaks can also be a sign of an infection or liver problems. 

There are some birds in the wild that just have massive upper beaks, which prevents them from closing their beaks completely. A perfect example of this is the black palm cockatoo. They use their enormous beak to open nuts and then take the contents from the nut using their tongues - fascinating bird beak fact, I know. 

How Strong Is a Bird’s Beak?

A bird’s beak is extremely strong, though the force depends on a bird species. Birds use their beak for numerous functions, including in fights. Some pet birds will use their beaks to swing from cage bars, thus showing their beaks can withstand their own body weight.

To go back to our weird friend, the black palm cockatoo - their beaks are so strong that they can crack walnuts, and that’s really saying something. Other parrots aren’t that far behind. Some studies suggest some parrots’ beak force is as strong as a dog bite! 

Other studies suggest that the beak force of seed-eating birds depends on the hardness of those seeds the birds are trying to crash. That’s why black palm cockatoos are able to crush that walnut. 

But what’s behind that force? Well, it turns out that the beak strength is only possible because of that mix of bone and keratin. Bone is definitely harder and sturdier than keratin, but once the bone breaks, that’s it - game over. However, that keratin layer over the bone means that the bone is protected and not exposed all the time.

Can Birds Break Their Beaks?

Birds can break their beaks, mostly during fighting or due to a fall. In the wild, birds are especially susceptible to beak breaking. Since beaks are made from bone and blood vessels underneath, they can break just like any other bone, and they’ll start bleeding. 

Unfortunately, birds living in the wild can have a really tough time once they break their beaks. Once a beak breaks away, there’s not much keratin can do. In those cases, those birds’ survival depends on how much of their break they lost. 

Pet birds that injure their beaks are luckier only because they can have the necessary medical assistance. In some cases, vets can save a bird’s life and partially fix their beaks.

Do Bird Beaks Grow Back if Broken?

Bird beaks generally don’t grow back if broken. Often, if the injury is only superficial or if it appears on a beak’s tip, then it can grow out. Additionally, broken beaks can grow partially if an injury occurs while a bird is still young. 

Another very important bird beak fact is the element of birds’ self-grooming is preening, and without a beak, birds simply can’t do that, which means they can’t get rid of unnecessary or damaged feathers.

Do Birds Have Teeth in Their Beaks?

Birds don’t have proper human-like teeth in their beaks. Instead, some birds have small ridges called tomia that look like small, sharp teeth. Birds that have tomia don’t use them for chewing but for a better grip on the various food they consume. 

Remember, birds can move their beaks only up and down, not sideways, which means they can’t really chew their food as we humans do. Birds only “crush” and crunch their food into smaller bites that they send down their digestive tract. Because of this, they don’t need teeth. 

Wait a second, many of us have seen those scary pictures of gooses with teeth - it’s like a horror movie. What’s up with that? Those are just tomia, and gooses have those even on the edge of their tongues! However, they don’t use them for chewing but for a better grip.

Do Birds Smell With Their Beaks?

Some bird species smell with their beaks, while others don’t have a sense of smell at all. Although some birds can’t smell, all birds have nostrils somewhere on their beaks. Birds that can’t smell use their vision to find food.

Some birds, like kiwis, use their sense of smell to find food, while birds like eagles or vultures use their near-perfect sight to catch their food. Historically, it was thought that all birds use only their vision to find food, but today we know that’s not the case. 

Why Do Birds Open and Close Their Beaks?

Birds usually open and close their beaks to regulate their body temperature. Birds pant just like dogs to keep cool, so if your bird is doing the same, try to cool the room down. If your bird keeps opening and closing its beak, then it might be a health issue. 

In most cases, birds opening and closing their beaks isn’t a cause for concern. It might be they’re just yawning or “asking” to be fed. Alternatively, as I mentioned, they’re probably just hot and trying to cool down. 

However, sometimes birds can develop some respiratory diseases, in which case you should definitely visit a vet before it’s too late. 

Bird Beak Facts...Final Thoughts

You didn’t think beaks could be so interesting, and yet here we are - you’ve reached the end. 

Now, you’re ready to go into the world and preach all about bird beaks, especially that:

• Beaks can be broken 
• Birds use their beaks for almost anything, not just eating
• Beaks grow continuously, just like our hair and nails (because they’re made of the same material).
  
  

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Hi! I'm Richard Worden, the author and founder of We Know Birds.

Over 20 years ago I developed a keen interest in birds and birdwatching, and it has been my passion ever since. I am committed to spreading useful knowledge about birds to others so we might all enjoy them to the fullest.

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