BIRD BILLS AND THEIR FOOD BILLS
When you see a bird, look carefully at its bill. Bird bills play the role of hands, lips and teeth. You will see birds with bills that are: long (Wilson’s Snipe), flattened (Mallard), strong (Blue Jay), short (Cedar Waxwing), stout (Yellow-rumped Warbler), probing (Rufous Hummingbird), overlapping (White-winged Crossbills) and hooked (Sharp-shinned Hawk). The shape and size of a birds bill helps them find and eat their favourite food. Birds find their food in many different ways. Swallows catch small flying insects as they zoom along over open water. The Rufous Hummingbird hovers above, below and beside flowers to reach sugary nectar. The Red-winged Blackbird gathers bugs from leaves and branches. The Ring-necked Duck dives for food and eats mosquito larvae, leeches, pond weeds and other aquatic life.