Birds With Huge Beaks

There is an enormous variety of bird species on the planet. And while many have stunning colors or plumage, there are only a handful of birds with huge beaks. The following birds have some of the largest beaks on the planet.

Toucan

Toucans can have beaks that are as long as their entire bodies and four times the size of their heads. However, despite its huge size, a toucan’s beak is actually quite lightweight. That’s because it’s hollow. Its extreme length helps the toucan to reach tasty fruit on high-up branches and get into the cavities of trees to steal eggs from other birds.

Spoonbill

The spoonbill has a large and flat beak that’s totally unique. It looks like a long spoon!  It sweeps its oddly-shaped beak from side to side under the water to catch its food, small aquatic creatures. These wading birds are hard to mistake for any other type of bird once you’ve seen their distinctive beak. However, the roseate spoonbill can sometimes be confused for the flamingo from a distance because of its similar body type and pink color.

Hornbill

While the many different species of hornbills vary in size, they are all birds with huge beaks that have a downward curve. Their beaks can also be quite colorful. Some hornbill species also have a casque, which looks similar to a horn on the upper portion of their beak that makes it even larger in size. With the exception of the helmeted hornbill that has a solid casque, most casques are hollow and actually light in weight.

Shoebill

The shoebill gets its name from its most distinguishing feature, its gigantic shoe-shaped beak (also sometimes called a bill). Its beak has sharp edges which help this tall prehistoric looking bird to decapitate its prey. These edges also serve to get rid of any debris or vegetation which may have been accidentally scooped up when striking the prey. While it may look like a stork, this huge-beaked bird is actually related to the pelican.

Pelican

It’s hard to mistake the pelican for any other type of bird. That’s because attached to its beak it has a large throat pouch that is used to scoop up fish. One of the biggest pelican species of all is the great white pelican. It can be distinguished by its huge pink and yellow beak, pale yellow pouch, and pure white plumage.

Marabou Stork

Many stork species have large or even extra-large beaks. The size and shape of their beak depend on their diet. Marabou storks are scavengers. They are tall birds with huge beaks that they use to tear the meat off of animal carcasses. Like vultures, marabou storks have featherless heads which help to keep them clean when eating rotting flesh.

Ibis

The ibis is closely related to both storks and spoonbills. Its beak is quite long and curves downward. This helps the ibis to probe the mud for food such as crustaceans, bugs, worms, and fish. The inside of the beak is so sensitive that it can identify food items without actually seeing them.

Steller’s Sea Eagle

The enormous body size, extra-large beak, and long curved talons of the Steller’s sea eagle make it quite a scary-looking bird. Luckily it mainly feeds on fish and sometimes water birds. However, it is known to hunt the occasional fox or even small dog as well. The robust yellow beak of the Steller’s sea eagle is actually the largest beak of all the eagle species.

Flamingo

You’ll often see this pink bird standing on one leg with the other leg tucked under its body. The flamingo is a wading bird that uses its wide yet flat beak to both catch food and also filters out water, silt, and mud. Because it feeds with its head upside down the structure of the beak is the opposite of most birds:  it has a huge lower beak and a small upper beak.

Hyacinth Macaw

The hyacinth macaw is the largest of all macaw species and the largest parrot in the world by length. These are gorgeous birds with huge beaks and striking blue plumage. They are totally blue except for a yellow ring around the eye and a yellow area underneath the beak. Their large and powerful beaks help them to crush seeds and nuts and are even strong enough to crack coconuts.

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