What do these birds eat?

Different birds have very different diets, from nectar found in flowers through to carnivorous birds that feed on prey. Did you know the shape of a bird's bill will give you clues about what that bird likes to eat?

Take our quiz below and match each bird's beak to the type of food it eats. You can also print out our activity sheet and colour in the animals yourself!

Take the quiz

Look at the bill of the Eastern Spinebill.

What food do you think this bill would be best for?

The Eastern Spinebill feeds on insects and nectar while perched or while hovering. Their thin, down-curved bill is specially adapted for collecting nectar from native flowers. To attract and feed them, plant correas, eremophilas, bottlebrushes, kangaroo paws, and grevilleas. Spinebills will also take a drink of delicious, sugary nectar from introduced plants like fuchsias.

The Australian Pelican has a very distinctive bill, perfect for a particular type of meal.

What food would fit perfectly in this birds bill?

The pelican has a ‘dip netting’ bill, perfect for dipping into the ocean and scooping up delicious fish.

Look at the bill of the Eastern Whipbird.

What food do you think this bill would be best for?

The Eastern Whipbird has an insect catching bill perfect for catching and eating tasty insects they find.

Check out this Kookaburra! Kookaburras like to eat lots of different foods...

... but which one do you think would be best with this bill?

Kookaburras eat a range of prey, including small reptiles such as insects, worms, snails, frogs, rodents and even the occasional small birds! Their bill helps catch and kill live prey including more challenging things like lizards and snakes!

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