BIRDS

BIRDS

Birds are the animals that can fly. Some birds eat grains, some eat seeds and the others eat fruits. Birds use their beaks and claws to

catch, hold and eat their food. Different birds have different types of beaks and claws. Let us discus about them.

Beaks in Birds

Different birds have different kinds of beaks according to the food eaten by them.

Strong, Sharp and Hooked Beaks

Eagle, vulture, owl, kite and hawk are called birds of prey. They catch and eat smaller animals like chicks, mice, frogs and snakes. Their strong, sharp and hooked beaks help them to tear the flesh. They also have the feature to fly in height.

Short, Hard and Horny Beaks

Birds like sparrow, pigeon, peacock and finch eat seeds, grains and nuts. Their short and hard beaks help them to crush or crack the grains and seeds.

Curved Beaks

The curved beak as of a parrot helps it to cut and crack open the nuts and hard fruits. It looks very pretty on them, but it can harm the others if they feel any danger around them.

Strong and Chisel- Shaped Beaks

Birds like woodpecker drill holes into the hard tree trunks in search of food and also to build nests. The chisel-shaped strong beaks help to drill these holes.

Board and Short Beaks

A board and short beaks as of a swallow or a sparrow is sticky on the inside. When these birds fly around, they keep their mouths open so that the insects stick inside their beaks.

Long and Slender Beaks

Birds like the hoopoe have long and slender beaks. It helps them to pick up insects from the ground.

Broad and Flat Beaks

A broad and flat beak in ducks and geese has holes on the either side. These birds take in muddy water containing worms, insects and small water plants. The water is drained out from the holes on the sides, leaving a delicious treat of worms and plants inside their

mouth.

Long, Pointed and Straw- Shaped Beaks

Birds like the humming bird and the sunbird suck the nectar from the flowers. They have long, pointed and straw like beaks enabling them to feed on the flowers. Humming bird is the smallest bird in the world. It can amazingly fly backwards, forwards and sideways.

Feet and Claws

Birds use their claws to catch and eat food. They also use them to hold the branches of the tree.

Flesh Eating Birds

Birds like the eagle, owl, hawk, etc., have strong and sharp claws called talons. These help them to hold their prey – the small animals. The talons are also curved at the back to give them a good grasp.

Perching Birds

Birds such as pigeon, sparrow, crow, mynahs, have three toes in the front and one at the back. This helps them to hold a branch firmly. This is called perching. These birds can even sleep while perching.

Scratching Birds

Hens scratch the ground and dig for insects, buried seeds and grains. They have strong legs with three toes in the front and one toe at the back. These tors have sharp, hard claws to help them dig. Similar claws are seen in the peacock which also uses its toes to dig out the food from

the ground.

Climbing Birds

As we have learnt that a woodpecker drills holes into the trunk of the tree. Therefore, it needs toes that help it to the trees. Such birds and the others like the parakeets have two toes in the front and two at the back. These also help front and two at the back. These also help the birds to balance themselves while climbing.

Swimming Birds

Ducks are swimming birds with webbed feet. They have three toes in the front and one toe at the back. The three

front toes are connected by a skin like called a web. This helps them to push the water back while they are swimming.

Wading Birds

Some birds like cranes and herons walk through or wade through shallow water. They have long legs with spread out toes to walk easily through the muddy water without getting wet.

Flight in Birds

The body of the bird has special features that enable it to fly. These are:

A very light body made of hollow bones.

The shape of the body is called streamlined, much like a boat that helps it to cut through the air.

The body is covered with wings and feathers. The wings are attached to the body with strong muscles that help them to move up and down, forward and backward.

The tail of the bird helps it to change direction while flying.

Feathers in Birds

There are three types of feathers in birds:

a)     Body Feathers: these cover the skin of the birds.

b)    Down Feathers: these are small and fluffy and help to keep the body of the bird warm.

c)     Flight features: these are found on the wings and the tail of a bird. They help the bird to fly.

Nesting Habits of Birds

Birds build nests to lay eggs. They use grass, straw, dry leaves, twigs, threads, strands of wool, etc., to build their nests. Birds find safe areas like ventilators of old houses, top branches of the trees, roofs of houses, etc. They build nests to keep their eggs safe from enemies.

The birds lay their eggs in the nest and sit on them for a few days or weeks to keep them warm. This is called incubation. After some time, the eggs hatch. The young hatchings do not have any feathers on their bodies. Their eyes are also closed. The parent birds feed their babies until they are ready to fly.

Some birds have a very unique style of building their nests. The tailor birds us their beaks as needles to sew the leaves together using wool and thread. They then make the nest cozy with cotton, wool or dry grass.

The weaver bird rapidly weaves grass in and out and makes a strong and beautiful nest with twigs and grass. The nest that hangs from a branch has a tunnel- like opening at the bottom.

The woodpecker makes holes in the tree trunks and then makes it cozy with the help of chips of wood. Birds like the eagle and vulture make their nests by gathering a few sticks and putting them together atop high trees or mountains.

Penguins collect a few pebbles and stones and make their nest on the ground.