On the wing
Its powerful bill extends high up on its head.
Common eiders are very well adapted for diving down to the bottom, where they grab small sea urchins and various molluscs, especially young blue mussels.
At the Biodôme we feed them fresh fish as well as adult blue mussels that we open for them and leave on the bottom of the basin.
Its feet, located far back on its body, give it a sleeker profile for diving.
Most diving birds use only their feet under water. By spreading their wings slightly underwater, black guillemots can move fast enough to catch small fish.
If you stand at the underwater window of the main basin, you can see the black guillemots catching fresh fish tossed to them by Biodôme staff every day.
It has a straight, pointed bill.
Terns are such agile flyers that they can turn on a dime and even hover in one spot before plunging headfirst into the water to grab prey just below the surface.
Although their food is mostly served on a platter, the terns can sometimes be seen catching fresh fish tossed to them by Biodôme staff.
It has a long, thin and slightly curved bill.
Greater yellowlegs are well equipped to hunt just by watching for their prey in shallow water and seizing it with a quick lunge.
Its straight, pointed bill is not very long.
Turnstones are sturdy and low to the ground. This lets them use their bills to pry up stones and feed on the small invertebrates hiding underneath.
It has a straight, long and flexible bill. The tip is sensitive to the touch and even to taste.
Short-billed dowitchers’ heads bob up and down like a sewing machine as they probe the soil. They can feed on tiny prey hidden under the surface, which they detect with their sensitive bills.
The coastal forest
A blue jay’s versatile bill (medium length, strong and pointed) is perfectly suited to its omnivorous diet.
Blue jays are opportunistic foragers. They can break open cocoons and hard shells with their sharp bills. If necessary they can hold their food with their feet while they hammer at it with their bills.
It has a short, conical bill.
Juncos’ small conical bills are perfect for grabbing and cutting open the hulls of tiny seeds. Sometimes they will perch on top of a seed-bearing plant and push it down to the ground so they can feed more easily on its seeds.
A large sparrow with a relatively strong, conical bill.
When they feed, fox sparrows often give little two-footed backward hops while scratching the litter on the ground with their claws, to turn up the food hidden there.
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