3rd Class Science Birds Notes - Beaks and Clawas of Birds

Beaks and Claws of Birds

1. Birds have no teeth but they all have beaks and claws. Different kinds of birds have diffeffent kinds of beaks and claws. Beaks and claws tell us a lot about birds.

2. Beaks help the birds to pick up their food and also to protect themselves from the enemies. Claws help in catching, holding and eating food. They protect the birds from their enemies. They help the birds in walking, in swimming, in climbing and perching.

3. Short, hard and horny beaks can be found in sparrows, pigeons, peacocks and finches which eat nuts, grains and seeds. They break their food into small pieces with their beaks and they also use them to drive away other birds.

4. Parrots have hooked beaks. It helps them to crack nuts and hard fruits. The curved beak helps them to eat even hard and unripe fruits. They are useful in climbing.

5. Eagles, vultures, kites and hawks have strong, sharp and hooked beaks which help them to tear flesh into small pieces.

6. Birds like woodpeckers which make holes in the trunks of trees to pick insects have chisel-shaped strong and heavy beaks.

7. Swallows have short and broad beaks. Their mouths are very sticky inside. Swallows go round and round in the air with their mouth open. They catch insects and flies which stick inside their mouth.

8. The hoopoe has a long, slender and curved beak which it uses to pull out insects from holes in the ground.

9. Ducks have flat and broad beak. This is used for digging up the mud under water. The beak of the duck has got strainers all along the edge. Water and mud go out along these strainers and small plants or tiny water animals remain in the mouth.

10. Kingfishers and storks have broad, long and pointed beaks which help them to catch fish from the rivers and ponds.

11. Sunbirds have long, pointed and thin beaks. Their beaks help them to suck nectar or juice from the fruits and flowers.

12. Perching birds like the crow, sparrow and mynahs have long, slender claws. They have four toes three in the front and one at the back. This kind of toes help the birds to hold the branches of trees firmly and they can even sleep while perching. Perching birds hop on the ground.

13. Climbing birds like parrot and kingfisher have two toes in front and two at the back. Climbing birds can cling to the trees.

14. Preying birds like the eagle, hank and owl have very strong and sharp claws which help them to catch and hold their prey very firmly. These birds may carry their prey to long distances.

15. Scratching birds like hens and cocks use their claws to scratch the earth for seeds and worms. These birds have strong feat with three toes in the front and a short toe it the back. Each of these toes has a sharp homy claw. Scratching birds walk and run-on the ground.

16. Wading birds like crane and paddy bird which can walk over the shallow waters have thin, long legs with wide spreading toes. These toes keep the feet from sinking in the soft mud.

17. Swimming birds like duck have special webs of skin between the toes. These birds can push back water with the help of the webbed feet while swimming. Their flat feet make