This is bird note.

A bird's bill is perhaps one of nature's most incredible multi-tools.

Good for preening feathers, self-defense, scratching, displaying,

building a nest, and turning eggs.

The bill of each bird's species is perfectly adapted to meet the needs

of that species, whether it's probing for worms, cracking open seeds, or tearing into fresh meat.

And a bird's bill must do things that other animals accomplish with paws or other appendages.

In a marsh or wet meadow, you might see a great blue heron impale a fish with its massive spearhead of a bill.

Or perhaps you'll spot a mallard using its spatula-like bill to sift tiny animals and plants out of the water.

The Wilson's snipe uses its long slender bill to probe the dirt for earthworms, while a

peregrine falcon uses its sharp-hooked beak to tear apart its prey.

Call it a beak or call it a bill.

For each and every bird, it tells a story.

Next time you go birding, see what a bird's beak can tell you.

For Bird Note, I'm Michael Stein.

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