Freaky beaks!

[andywolves]

Came across this article on the Shropshire Star website, will undoubtedly raise a few 'aaaaaahhhhss' from you all! So, how about a few more pics/links of freaky beaks? Andy
I have seen another news item of a woodpecker (cant recall which variant), will see if I can find it.
Springwatch pictures of blue tit with deformed beak in Shropshire : Shropshire Star:

[andywolves]

That didnt take long!

Giant beak puts woodpecker top of the bill | Environment | guardian.co.uk

[Pam_M]

Sad to see, Andy! It really makes you wonder how they survive, that is if they do for any reasonable length of time!

[Pippa]

Hi Andy,

This little Blue tit has survived a year that we know of.One of the first visitors to our feeding station when we moved in last March.

There was a thread on them and it appears most can cope quite well.Mind you, that crossed beak is so sad.

[poohbear]

I'd have to trap it and trim that...poor little devil...easy to remedy if caught and you know what you're doing.

[Amoeba]

Does anybody know if these are isolated incidents or on the increase?

[Dae]

We've had at least 1 blue tit with crossed bills. He was around for a good while, but haven't seen him since last summer - so goodness knows what's happened to him. When I posted a photo of him a while back, several people chimed in that they'd had birds of a similar nature in their gardens. I too wonder if it's on the increase.

[Amoeba]

My only concern is that their natural methods of forraging would wear down their beaks, whereas those that rely mostly on feeders get such an easy time of it that their beaks don't get worn down as fast as they grow. A flaw in this idea is that many birds that are reliant upon feeders don't have this problem.

Then again, I don't know if beaks stop growing at a certain length, and that these birds are just prone to a genetic error (perhaps a recessive allele) that allows their beaks to grow continuously, or if all birds of these species have continually growing beaks.

[NicolaB]

I saw this poor little chappy at my local bird feeding spot I've never seen such an seriously overgrown beak, and I guess he's only still alive as the locals put out food at the site regularly to encourage the local tree sparrows.

[Spyroviper]

Originally Posted by Amoeba

My only concern is that their natural methods of forraging would wear down their beaks, whereas those that rely mostly on feeders get such an easy time of it that their beaks don't get worn down as fast as they grow. A flaw in this idea is that many birds that are reliant upon feeders don't have this problem.

Which is why I use rock solid feeds for my birds. You can see them really try to get those seeds! It also gives you longer to focus in on that perfect picture