A beak, or bill, is the nose of a bird. They are used mainly for eating, but also used for grooming and sometimes even fighting. Beaks come in all different shapes, sizes, and colors. The shapes and sizes are designed to work the best for what the bird eats. Find out below how different bird beaks work!

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Materials:
- Straw or Eye Dropper
- Sieve or Small Slotted Spoon
- Tongs
- Juice or Water
- Cereal, Seeds, or Nuts
- Tea Leaves or Coffee Grounds in Water
- 3 Small Bowls or Cups

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Procedure:
1. Use the table below to record what works and what doesn’t as you experiment!
2. Place one food type into each bowl. What do you think these food types might represent? Example: Juice/Water could be like nectar.
3. Using your different tools, try to pick up each kind of food. Record in your table what works and what doesn’t.
4. Guess what type of bird might have beaks like the tools you just used. Example: The straw might represent a hummingbird.

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How do your bird beaks measure up? Looking at the table you used above, you can see how different bird beaks have different uses. The three beaks we explored today are nectar drinking, grain eating, and filter feeding. What other types of beaks do you think are out there and what do you think they do?

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