Different species of birds have different diets, just as mammals do. Some are vegetarian, eating fruits and seeds. Others feed on insects and other invertebrates, such as worms. Bird’s beaks are adapted to the kind of food they need. The beaks of meat-eaters are often hooked and sharp, ideal for tearing flesh from carcasses. Birds that search for food along the seashore or on mud banks often have long pointed beaks for burrowing into soft ground. It is fascinating to watch sea birds dive into the water. Gannets, for example, plunge in very spectacularly, head-first with folded wings, from upto 30 m or in a lower slanting dive. They disappear deep underwater, often with a splash of spray. Other birds to watch feeding are the swift and the martin. These are all insect-eaters and feed on the wing. They can be seen circling above water to catch their prey.
Fact File
Bald eagles pluck fish out of the water with their talons, and sometimes they follow seabirds as a means of locating fish. Besides live fish, bald eagles prey on other birds, small mammals, snakes, turtles and crabs.
