...Or in this case, tool beak! For this week's SMAP contest, beaks/bills have the highlight!
Beaks in the different species have evolved in order to perform specific functions: some birds require short strong beaks, while others need a long and thin one. A closer look at this part of bird's anatomy will tell you a great deal of information, and can even help you in the identification! Take a look at these guys:
Kingfishers scout the waters for prey; when they see a possibility, they have to dive and catch a slippery fish in a fraction of a second. Can you imagine doing this with a short stubby beak? They need a long pointy beak, that has to be also strong and sharp to enter water at full speed!
This species is from Sri Lanka, but if you knew this species, and found this one overlooking the sea in Croatia, what would you think?
Just by looking at that beak you would probably guess it was a kingfisher, even if you didn't knew the species!
Want another example, even further away? Let's go to Indonesia!
Notice the (lack of) differences? Different bodies, different colours... but the beak is almost identical!
Other species need a more multi-purposed beak; for example, species that have a big variety of diets, from fruits... to seafood!
The crow's beak fits the job perfectly; apart from the different diets, crows are very intelligent birds, and exploration is a big part of their habits.
Their beak evolved to serve as a tool to drag, pick up, explore crevices, dislodge stones... you name it!
These ones were roaming the beach near Split, in Croatia. Their beak almost served to explore the content of my backpack! Fortunately, they decided to focus more on their lunch.
So here you go, enough beaks for today. Let's see those entries! 🙂
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