Beak

The beak - otherwise known as the bill - is the only device a bird has for consuming food. It is composed of an upper jaw called the maxilla, and the lower jaw called a mandible.

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Birds have no teeth so they must swallow their food whole. A bird's beak can vary in size and shape depending on the nature of their diet. Some birds such as the falcons have evolved to have a cutting type beak which allows them to tear through flesh, whereas the hummingbird has a probe like beak which allows them to drink the nectar from certain flowers.

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Bird beaks are useful in other ways, e.g. woodpeckers use theirs to cut wood, parrots have sharp swivelled beaks to tear fruits. Herons have long beaks to pull out fish from the water and ducks have flat beaks that allow them to retain all the fish and plants while draining out the water.

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Maxilla: The maxillae are the largest bones of the face, except for the mandible, and form, by their union, the whole of the upper jaw. They hold the upper teeth, and connect on the left and right to the zygomatic bones (cheek bones). Each assists in forming the boundaries of three cavities, namely, the roof...

Mandible: This article is about the human bone. In insects, the mandible is the segment forming the mouth. In animals, the bone of the lower jaw that bears teeth is also known as the dentary bone....

Diet: Diet may mean:...

Beak related Images and Photos (experimental)

Star Trek Klingon Beak Nose Disruptor Prop Replica

Exiles #55 Cover: Mimic Morph Beak Sasquatch Blink Namora and Exiles