The beak of a bird is an important body part. As we look around we can see various type of beaks. Some are fish, meat, nut, seed eater whereas some are nectar feeder. Long beaks look more attractive and the birds with long beak are more discussed.
Beaks give us an idea about the diet of the birds. Some of these beaks are even longer than the entire body length of a bird so it’s undoubtedly interesting how the beaks look like.
In addition to this, what type of food the bird feeds on and how they catch their preys, all these are figured out by the shape and size if their beaks.
Amazing Birds with Long Beaks
So here below we are going to discuss the top 21 birds that have longer beaks than any other bird in the world. The list we have made is according to their beak length in inches, starting from the longest one.
1. Stork: 39-45 inches
The carnivorous solitary breeder stork lives in mostly dry inhabitants and has a tendency towards migration in the winter season.
2. Dalmacian Pelican: 14-18 Inches
The worlds largest elegant soaring freshwater bird Dalmatian Pelican feeds on fish entirely.
They require 1200 grams of fish on a daily basis and they catch fishes like catfish, eels, mullet, gobies etc with the help of their long beak. This not so social bird is mostly found in lake and rivers.
3. American White Pelican: 11.3-15.2 Inches
Among all the white birds with the long bill or beak, American white pelican is another soaring aquatic bird. This gregarious bird likes to catch its prey not when it dives but when it swims.
With the help of their beak, they catch common carp, yellow perch etc. They are also called the colonial breeders.
4. Australian Pelican: 13.6 Inches
There are multifarious birds with big beaks. Australian pelican is another kind of waterbird that has a pink long bill, black wings, and mostly white body.
Through its pink bill, it grasps goldfish, European carp etc. They stick their pink bill in shallow water to snatch the fishes. Australia and Tasmania are the places where they live.
5. American Avocet
This wader is large in size and has a long bill which it uses in foraging by sweeping its bill from one side to another side on mud flats and shallow water.
It mostly looks for insect and crustacean and feeds on them. Its beak is pointed and black and the length of its beak is twice the length of its small head.
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6. Shoebill: 7.4-9.4 Inches
A stork-like bird shoebill or whalehead got his name because of its big beak that resembles a shoe and the reason why it is similar to a stork is its overall form. They are mostly found in tropical east of Australia and.
7. Toco Toucan: 6.2-9.1 Inches
Toco toucan or toucan/common toucan/giant toucan is found in South Americas eastern and central part. Again, in toucan family, it is not only the largest but apparently the best-known species.
They feed on fruits, frogs, reptiles, insects by plucking their bill into them. Among all the birds with the long bill or beak, toucan is a popular attraction in zoos.
8. Great Hornbill
Like toucan family, the great hornbill or the great Indian hornbill/ great pied hornbill is the largest member of the hornbill family.
This frugivorous long-lived bird has great importance in various rituals and tribal cultures because of its attractive color and size. By using their beak, they prey on reptiles, mammals and other birds.
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9. Roseate Spoonbill: 5.7-7.1inches
There are countless birds with the longest beak and roseate spoonbill is one of them. We can say, it is one of a kind because of its unique beak that almost looks like a spoon and thus it has got the name spoonbill. Besides, it is a gregarious bird which is capable of wading.
10. Rhinoceros Hornbill
Being found in subtropical, tropical, lowland and montane, rhinoceros hornbill is another bird with the big colorful beak which can have a lifespan of 35 years in captivity.
Their diet includes mostly fruits and insects, rodents, reptiles etc. It is important to mention that, this bird is the national bird of Malaysia and the state bird of Malaysia’s state Sarawak.
11. Black Skimmer
Black skimmer is a tern-like waterbird which has a bill that is red at the basal half and the rest of the bill is black. Again its eye’s dark brown iris and a pupil which is catlike makes it idiosyncratic as a bird. Again they feed on flocks, fish, insects etc.
12. Long-Billed Curlew: 4.4-8.6 Inches
The long-billed curlew is famously known as candlestick bird and sicklebird. The female’s beak is longer than the male’s bill and in North America, they are called the largest sandpiper of systematic occurrence.
Long-billed curlew shows reversed sexual dimorphism and they feed on the beetle, grasshopper flocks and eggs of other birds by using their bill.
13. Keel-Billed Toucan: 4.7-5.9 Inches
A national bird of Belize, the keel-billed toucan has other names like a rainbow-billed toucan, sulfur – breasted toucan. Their beak is large in size and very vivid. Again its length is one-third of the entire body length.
Being covered in a hard and very light protein called keratin, their beak looks like a void spongy bone when it seems to be cumbersome.
14. Collared Aracari
A near perching bird collared aracari is actually a toucan which is another bird species with a long beak. This gregarious bird moves through the forest in groups.
They usually breed in open woodland and lowland forest. Besides, the frugivorous animal’s diet includes lizard, eggs, insects and many more.
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15. Kiwi
Kiwi is considered as the smallest living ratite which is also a flightless bird having no keel. The nocturnal kiwi feeds on fruits, worms, eels, catfish, seed etc. Their feathers are used by human beings still today.
The female kiwi lays huge eggs. It is believed that their sense of smell is the only weapon to catch their prey.
16. Sword-Billed Hummingbird: 4 Inches
One of the largest hummingbirds is the sword-billed hummingbird. It has a long bill and this is the only small bird which has beak longer than the rest of the entire body.
Isn’t it interesting? Their black beak is tube shaped and curved a little bit upwards. This beak enables the bird to feed on flowers.
17. Southern Yellow-Billed Hornbill: 3.8 Inches
We can find the southern yellow-billed hornbill in not only broad-leafed woodland but also in dry thornveld. Again they are often seen near water sources and roadsides.
Their diet includes spiders, seeds, insects etc. Their yellow beak is curved downwards and in length, it is 1/6th of the entire body length.
18. Bald Eagle: 1.2-3 Inches
Another bird with a long beak is the bald eagle which is a prey bird. This opportunistic feeder feeds mostly on fish. Though their name includes ‘bald’, they are not bald at all.
On the other hand, their name came from the previous meaning of a bird which used to mean ‘white-headed’. Thus they were named bald eagle.
19. Flamingo
Wading bird flamingoes or flamingo has long-leg and blood red feathers. They are often seen standing on one leg which probably allows them to conserve more heat in the body.
This bird is capable of flying and they can separate slit and mud from their food which has become possible for the adaptation of their beak.
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20. Wood Pecker: 2.3-2.9 Inches
Among all the birds with a long beak, the woodpecker is another near-passerine bird. Because of their characteristic behavior, they are predominantly known.
This bird tends to be sexually dimorphic and has a strong beak in order to drum on trees and to drill.
21. Warbler
A dull green/ brownish bird warbler has a long beak. There are various kinds of warbler such as the sylvioid warbler, the passeroid warbler etc.
Though they share some common characteristics, they are not always really related to each other . they are small in size and their bill is relatively smaller.
The shape, color, and size of a bird’s beak differ from bird to bird. Some birds have a long beak, on the contrary, some have small beaks. Some of the long beaks look bizarre and very unusual.
But all these kinds of beaks have different characteristics and they hold great importance in a bird’s life such as holding their food and catching their prey. Without a beak or bill, a bird would not be able to get hold of its prey/food such as fishes.,seed, insects etc.