Birds are fascinating animals that come in different shapes and sizes. They have beaks that they use for getting food and attacking predators. These creatures are a wonder so let us take a look at some of the birds with the longest beaks.
1. Pelican
Pelicans are large water birds with distinctive pouches under their beak. They can be found near coasts and on lakes.
2. European White Stork
These long-legged birds look for food with their bill pointed at the ground. As carnivores, they prefer eating reptiles, amphibians, and small mammals.
3. Shoebill
Shoebills are tall birds that can be found in swampy areas of Africa. Their long and big beaks are often compared to the shape of a shoe or a whale. They use their long beak to fish for prey as they are known to feast on lungfish, catfish, eels, snakes, lizards, and baby crocodiles.
4. Great Hornbill
Great hornbills have magnificent beaks and have a unique ‘casque’ or hard helmet-like casing on top of their beak. The function of this is to add a vibrating sound when the bird is calling which makes their voice louder.
5. Common Snipe
These small birds usually look for food in the mud as they use their long beaks to probe for earthworms, snails, larvae, and insects.
6. Australian Pelican
As the bird with the longest bill compared to other birds, the Australian Pelican’s beak can grow up to 34-37 cm long. They usually use their enormous bills to scoop fish from the water.
7. Kiwi
Kiwis are small flightless birds that are found in New Zealand. Their beaks have sensory pits that give them a very good sense of smell, which helps them find food.
8. Red-billed Scythebill
The Red-billed Scythebill has a long down curved red beak. They feed on insects such as spiders and peck them out of trunks and branches.
9. Toco Toucan
The Toco Toucan is a colorful bird that is found in the rainforests of South America. It has a large black body with white patches and a red bill. The Toco Toucan uses its long beak to eat fruits, but it is also known to feast on bird’s eggs and insects.
10. Sword-Billed Hummingbird
The Sword-billed Hummingbird has a longer beak than its actual body size. They are known to use their beaks to drink nectar from flowers as it is their source of food.
11. Hudsonian Whimbrel
The Hudsonian Whimbrel is a large wading bird with a very long bill and legs. They can be found in the Arctic tundra and marshes. They eat crabs and other crustaceans that they get from mudflats.
12. Eurasian Curlew
With its slightly downward beak, the Eurasian Curlew use their long beaks to probe for food in the mud, mainly eating worms and little crustaceans. They are known for their whistling sound.
13. Red-Necked Avocet
Red-necked avocet has an upward beak that is used for skimming the water’s surface to find food. This chestnut-headed bird eats crustaceans, seeds, and larvae.
14. Eurasian Spoonbill
The Eurasian Spoonbill is a tall white bird with a long neck and legs. It has a long wide bill which is flat at the end that is used to capture small fishes, tadpoles, mollusks, and worms in the water.
15. Painted Stork
Painted storks are large wading birds that can be found in the marshes of South Asia. It has a long down-curved bill that is used to capture fish from the water.
16. Stork-billed Kingfisher
The Stork-billed Kingfisher is a brightly colored bird that is found in Southeast Asia. They use their beaks to catch their prey and dig nests.
17. Black-headed Ibis
The Black-headed Ibis is a wading bird that is found in wetlands. It has a long down-curved beak that is used to capture fish, amphibians, and other water creatures.
18. Collared Aracari
As another toucan species, the Collared Aracari also has a large bill. Their bills have a saw-tooth pattern on the edges that help them to grip their prey. They mainly eat fruits but will also consume insects, and lizards.
19. Lesser Flamingo
The Lesser Flamingo use their long beaks to filter out small organisms from the water that they consume. Out of all the flamingo species, they are the smallest.
20. Goliath Heron
The Goliath Heron is the largest heron in the world. It has a long S-shaped neck and legs and a dagger-like bill that is used to spear fish. If there aren’t any fish caught, they opt to consume lizards, frogs, insects, prawns, and carrion.
Conclusion
Birds are interesting creatures, and their beaks are just one of the many features that make them unique. Some long-beaked birds use their bills to scoop up fish from the water, while others use them to probe for insects in the mud. No matter how they use their bills, these birds are sure to stand out in a crowd.
