'Busy Beaks"

This week we started talking about animal variations and adaptations and had an afternoon "science adventure" exploring how different types of beaks are adapted to catching different types of prey/eating different foods. We simulated different types of bird beaks using tweezers, toothpicks, clothespins, and spoons, and used these to pick up different types of foods: pipe-cleaner "worms," jelly bean "snails," cheerio "seeds,"and raisin 'fish" in one-minute timed iterations. We then recorded and graphed our results:

Our consensus: If we were birds, we'd like a spoon beak!