Birds are beautiful animals that can fly. Their body is divided into three parts: – head, trunk and a tail.
They have two pairs of limbs – the legs and the wings. Birds have legs, but no hands. Their wings are covered with feathers. Many birds can fly with the help of their wings. The Mouth of bird is called a beak. But they don’t have teeth. But birds itself distinguish with each other. Following are the features that distinguish birds from other animals and themselves too.
- Feathers
- Beak
- Feet and Claws
Let us learn about different types of birds and
their feathers, beaks, feet, and claws.
Different kinds of feathers
All birds have bodies covered with feathers. Each bird has different kinds of feathers that help it do different things.
There are three kinds of feathers
- Flight feathers– Flight feathers help birds to fly. They are found on the wings and the tail.
- Body feathers– Body feathers are coloured feathers, which cover the body of the bird.
- Down feathers– Down feathers are soft and fluffy feathers found close to the body of a bird. They help birds to keep their bodies warm.
Different types of Beaks
Bird use their beaks to catch and eat food. Different birds have beaks with different shapes which helps them eat different kinds of food.
Eagles have a strong, sharp and hooked beak to catch animals and tear into them while it flies.
Parrots have a sharp and curved beak which helps crack nuts and seeds and also to tear fruits.
Ducks have a flat and a broad beak to catch fish and worms in the water.
Sparrows have a small pointed beak which helps to pick small grains.
Hummingbirds have a straw-like, long and slender beak to suck nectar from flowers.
Different kinds of feet and claws
All birds have two feet and four toes. The feet and claws help the bird walk, wade through water and catch food. Different birds have different kinds of feet to help them live in their surroundings or gather food.
Different types of nests
Nests act as shelters for birds. Baby birds are born in nests. Nests keep young birds warm and protect them from enemies and various challenging weather conditions. Nests are made from twigs, stones, leaves, threads, fibers, etc, by the parent birds. Different species of birds have adapted to various conditions on earth and have been able to survive by building nests with varying features.
Most birds build nests to lay eggs and protect their babies. They use grass, straws, twigs, and leaves to build their nest. They use their beaks to build nests. For example, Tailorbird uses its beak to stitch leaves to build the nest. Different birds build different kinds of nests. Many birds build their nests in trees, but there are some birds like a peacock and a duck who build their nests on the ground.
Only Cuckoos do not build nests. They lay eggs in the nest of a crow.
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