The Beak |
|
| A birds’ beak is an extension of its
jaw. It has two parts, the upper and lower mandibles, both covered in a horny protective
layer of skin. As they do not have teeth, so they cannot take bites out of things as we
do. Many birds of prey swallow their food whole. On occasions when their prey is too large, curved and hooked beaks tear off pieces of the prey while it is being held in their talons. The pieces are either swallowed or passed on to its young. It is very important that a bird looks after its feathers; in fact its very survival depends on their condition. The most important tool for this is its beak, which it uses by passing each edge of the feather through it. It zips the barbs of the feathers together (otherwise known as preening) and all birds spend a great amount of time doing this. Another important part of the beak is used for manual labour, carrying and arranging material to construct and decorate their nests. |
