bill vs beak

I've never really thought about it before, but it would be odd, for instance, to say that a crow had a bill and a duck a beak.
It seems that all the birds who have bills are water birds. Maybe I'm wrong?
A beak seems to indicate that it is sharp and pointed, for picking up things from the land or off a bush (berries, etc), whereas a bill is flat and shovel like, used for dabbling for weed in the river, or holding onto a fish.
I may be wrong on this, and there may be some exceptions to the rule, but to me, a beak is pointed and a bill is flat.

Anyone else agree?

Doowop, I certainly can't disagree. In fact, it kind of sounds about right.

Mr. Yoong, you've stumped me again, in my own language.

Here's a joke. Duck walks into a drug store, and says "Give me some chapstick. Just put it on my bill"

See, that sorry pun wouldn't work with a beak. If that makes it worse, just stop with what Doowop said.

lol roger

Describe or look at some different beaks and guess what they might be good at: ('Eyewitness BIRD' book has some excellent ideas) - eagles have strong curved pointy beaks for eating meat - finches have short stout beaks for cracking seeds - humming birds have long pointy beaks for getting nectar out of flowers - ducks have broad flat bills for eating water weeds

from: http://www.minkhollow.ca/HatchingProgram/Ducks-Incubation/bed-qa.html

or this one:

Beaks or bills come in a multitude of shapes and sizes, varying as to how the bird must gather its food as well as to what food he eats. Think of the difference in the bill of a hummingbird versus that of a pelican. Let's explore these differences in the world of birds.

What exactly is a beak or bill? There is a core of bone of the upper and lower jaws, called mandibles. A horny layer of a material covers the bones. Both mandibles move in most birds, whereas in mammals only one jaw moves. Try opening and closing your mouth and see which jaw moves. Most birds move both.

Birds that eat seed, such as Northern Cardinals, have short strong bills that can crack open a hard-shelled seed easily.

Birds that eat flying insects have flat bills with a wide base so that they can catch a moving and small target, such as a gnat or fly.

from: http://birding.about.com/od/birdanatomy/a/beaksandbills.htm


You could have done this research yourself. I'm about done doing everyone's homework for them.

I normally refer to dictionaries to find out the difference/s between words. Some dictionaries do have different definitions.

I agree with Doowop

dowally sha boom

But now I also agree with Mame, because there is a bird called a crossbill, and that certainly isn't flat, and it eats seeds out of pine cones.

So maybe they really are interchangeable. But I think of a duck having a bill, and an eagle a beak.

heh, I never gave it any thought either. One of those words we just use correctly through example.

I agree roger, I don't often respond to Yoong Liat, but not because I'm not reading his questions.
He often brings up things about the English language that makes me wonder, "Well, why DO we say that?".

Seems though that a bill is flattened, like on a duck, and a beck is pointed, as has been said.

Here we have a waterbird called a spoonbill.



As I said before I am most comfortable with Bill for the flattened oral appendage especially waterbirds.

I do note that in many references beak and bill seem to be interchangeable.

In English slang, the Bill is the police, and the Beak is the magistrate or judge!

>"You could have done this research yourself. I'm about done doing everyone's homework for them."

You don't have to be rude about it. If you don't want to "do other people's homework" then don't do it - rather than gripe about it. I'm a native English speaker who has a good college education, and I've just spent 20 minutes on the web researching the "correct" difference between bill & beak, and the difference is not at all obvious or without conflicting opinions.

You don't need to sound smug and superior, as if you have all the answers, and everyone else is merely a lazy imbecile. Ornithologists and encyclopedia writers disagree with what you wrote. According to them, humming birds have bills, not beaks, as you say.