[EBB Sightings] The thrasher beak

A lot of birds have long curved bills to probe in dirt (as Joe Morlan
noted) or bark.  Aside from thrashers, hoopoes, wood-hoopes,
spider-hunters, wood-creepers, earth-creepers, curlews, and the extinct
Hawaiian akialoas (house finch relatives).  Probably vangas too. I'm sure
I've forgotten some groups.

The only birds I'm aware of that use their bills for climbing are parrots.

Jaan Lepson
Livermore



On Thu, June 11, 2009 3:22 pm, Phila Rogers wrote:

> Dear Birders:
> Reading Maury Stern's comments about how the thrasher (especially that
> beak) got him started on bird watcher.  This begs a question:  I've read
> that they use their beak to "sweep" off leaf litter in search of food and
> even use it as a tool to probe for edibles, but why the deep curve?  I've
> also read that thrashesr often climb up into brush.  Is it possible that
> the curved beak is used like a hook to pull themselves up?
> -Phila Rogers
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-- 
Jaan Lepson

University of California
Space Sciences Laboratory
7 Gauss Way
Berkeley, CA 94720-7451