BIO SCI 94 Lecture Notes - Lecture 86: Sacrum, Cervical Vertebrae, Occipital Condyle

• School: UC-Irvine
• Department: Biological Sciences
• Course: BIO SCI 94
• Professor: Michael Clegg

Document Summary

A cone shaped bill is found in many birds such as finches and grosbeaks. It is a strong beak used for cracking seeds. Thin, slender, pointed beaks are found mainly in insect eaters. They are used to pick insects off leaves, twigs, and bark. Woodpecker: strong beaks which taper to the tip, forming a chisel for pecking holes in trees for food or nests. Most feed on insects which live under the bark. Hummingbird: long, tubular bills that resemble straws, which they use to sip nectar from flowers. Beaks which are flat and wide at the base are found in birds which catch insects in flight, such as flycatchers. These birds also often have whiskers at the corners of the mouth, which effectively widens the mouth opening, allowing more effective capture of prey. Hawks, owls, and other birds of prey which catch and kill live prey have sharp, hooked beaks.