When It Comes to Bird Beaks, Size Does Matter

The Phoenix Zoo currently has more than 250 birds throughout the zoo. Each species has a beak with a particular shape and size that directly relates to what and how they eat. By looking at a birds beak, (also called rostrum) you can distinguish the type of food it eats, where and how they get their food, how it may weave its nest, defends its territory, attacks competitors, grooms feathers, and how it communicates.

Bird beaks work like hammers, chisels, pincers, nutcrackers, hooks, and spears in order to get just the right morsel of food. Beaks can be a combination of strength and sensitivity, strong enough to crack a walnut yet delicate enough to peel a grape. Since survival of a species truly depends on their ability to adapt to their environment, it's extremely important for birds to use their beaks by any means possible to survive in their existing habitats.