A bird’s beak can have different components to it depending on the species or bird family. On gull species, where the two lateral plates of the lower mandible connect towards the tip of the beak form a ridge or bulge called the gonydeal expansion. This bulge also causes a bump out on the lower mandible…
In a previous blog post I went over some of the many different shapes a bird’s beak may have and how they are adapted to their diet, but I never went over what parts of a bird’s beak actually are. They are an important part of the topography of a bird and to truly appreciate…
The tomial tooth, or the mandibular tomia, is not really a tooth at all, but a projection that can be seen in the outer edge on beaks of falcons, kites, and shrikes. This “tooth” also corresponds with a divot on the lower bill, called the mandibular notch; these together act like a pair of scissors…
Beaks are an important part of a birds anatomy. Like many of the parts of a bird, they have evolved and adapted to help them survive in their chosen environment and niche. They are key to helping a species thrive by making the most of the food available to them. Just as there is a…