{"id":16776,"date":"2009-04-01T14:51:55","date_gmt":"2009-04-01T18:51:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/news\/?p=16776"},"modified":"2023-08-09T18:18:20","modified_gmt":"2023-08-09T22:18:20","slug":"what-is-the-difference-between-a-beak-and-a-bill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/news\/what-is-the-difference-between-a-beak-and-a-bill\/","title":{"rendered":"What is the difference between a beak and a bill?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1111\" height=\"636\" src=\"https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/04\/Long-billed_Curlew-Greg_Gard-BS-top.jpg\" alt=\"bird with a long, curved bill stands in the water.\" class=\"wp-image-58348\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/04\/Long-billed_Curlew-Greg_Gard-BS-top.jpg 1111w, https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/04\/Long-billed_Curlew-Greg_Gard-BS-top-720x412.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/04\/Long-billed_Curlew-Greg_Gard-BS-top-768x440.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/04\/Long-billed_Curlew-Greg_Gard-BS-top-480x275.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1111px) 100vw, 1111px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Whatever you chose to call it, this Long-billed Curlew has one impressive bill&#8230;or beak. <em>Photo by <a href=\"https:\/\/flic.kr\/p\/fbCRct\">Gregory Gard<\/a> via <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/groups\/birdshare\/\">Birdshare<\/a>. <\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group sidebar-alignright sidebar-space order-bottom\"><!--HubSpot Call-to-Action Code --><span class=\"hs-cta-wrapper\" id=\"hs-cta-wrapper-a8fe3c9a-217b-40fd-b1ff-2bb76ebe2cf3\"><span class=\"hs-cta-node hs-cta-a8fe3c9a-217b-40fd-b1ff-2bb76ebe2cf3\" id=\"hs-cta-a8fe3c9a-217b-40fd-b1ff-2bb76ebe2cf3\"><!--[if lte IE 8]><div id=\"hs-cta-ie-element\"><\/div><![endif]--><a href=\"http:\/\/cta-redirect.hubspot.com\/cta\/redirect\/95627\/a8fe3c9a-217b-40fd-b1ff-2bb76ebe2cf3\" ><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"hs-cta-img\" id=\"hs-cta-img-a8fe3c9a-217b-40fd-b1ff-2bb76ebe2cf3\" style=\"border-width:0px;\" src=\"https:\/\/no-cache.hubspot.com\/cta\/default\/95627\/a8fe3c9a-217b-40fd-b1ff-2bb76ebe2cf3.png\"  alt=\"New self-paced course: Learn How to Identify Bird Songs, Click to Learn More\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/a><\/span><script charset=\"utf-8\" src=\"https:\/\/js.hscta.net\/cta\/current.js\"><\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\"> hbspt.cta.load(95627, 'a8fe3c9a-217b-40fd-b1ff-2bb76ebe2cf3', {}); <\/script><\/span><!-- end HubSpot Call-to-Action Code -->\r\n<!--<span class=\"hs-cta-wrapper\" id=\"hs-cta-wrapper-394b2cc2-4447-4677-b18b-d2f2de5b57cd\">\r\n    <span class=\"hs-cta-node hs-cta-394b2cc2-4447-4677-b18b-d2f2de5b57cd\" id=\"hs-cta-394b2cc2-4447-4677-b18b-d2f2de5b57cd\">-->\r\n        <!--[if lte IE 8]><div id=\"hs-cta-ie-element\"><\/div><![endif]-->\r\n        <!--<a href=\"http:\/\/cta-redirect.hubspot.com\/cta\/redirect\/95627\/394b2cc2-4447-4677-b18b-d2f2de5b57cd\"  target=\"_blank\" ><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"hs-cta-img\" id=\"hs-cta-img-394b2cc2-4447-4677-b18b-d2f2de5b57cd\" style=\"border-width:0px;\" src=\"https:\/\/no-cache.hubspot.com\/cta\/default\/95627\/394b2cc2-4447-4677-b18b-d2f2de5b57cd.png\"  alt=\"Join the Cornell Lab\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/a>\r\n    <\/span>\r\n    <script charset=\"utf-8\" src=\"https:\/\/js.hscta.net\/cta\/current.js\"><\/script>\r\n    <script type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n        hbspt.cta.load(95627, '394b2cc2-4447-4677-b18b-d2f2de5b57cd', {});\r\n    <\/script>\r\n<\/span>-->\r\n<!-- end HubSpot Call-to-Action Code -->\r\n\r\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Not a thing\u2014the words are synonymous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ornithologists tend to use the word &#8220;bill&#8221; more often than &#8220;beak.&#8221; Some people use &#8220;beak&#8221; when referring to songbirds with pointed bills, and &#8220;bill&#8221; when discussing birds like ducks with more fleshy beaks. However, both words are used in reference to a wide variety of species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One important caveat: if you tell that old joke about the duck going into the drugstore to buy some chapstick, and the cashier asks how he&#8217;s going to pay for it and the duck says, &#8220;put it on my bill&#8221;\u2014well, that joke just doesn&#8217;t work if you say &#8220;beak.&#8221;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Not a thing\u2014the words are synonymous. Ornithologists tend to use the word &#8220;bill&#8221; more often than &#8220;beak.&#8221; Some people use &#8220;beak&#8221; when referring to songbirds with pointed bills, and &#8220;bill&#8221;<a class=\"excerpt-read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/news\/what-is-the-difference-between-a-beak-and-a-bill\/\" title=\"ReadWhat is the difference between a beak and a bill?\">&#8230; Read more &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":58346,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_tec_requires_first_save":true,"_birdpress_living_bird_toc":0,"_birdpress_living_bird_toc_title":"","_birdpress_featured_image":false,"_birdpress_hero_toggle":false,"_birdpress_hero_type":"image","_birdpress_hero_image_type":"image","_birdpress_hero_style":"default","_birdpress_hero_ratio":"","_birdpress_hero_h1":"","_birdpress_hero_media_id":0,"_birdpress_hero_media_array_id":[],"_birdpress_hero_media_array":[],"_birdpress_hero_media":0,"_birdpress_hero_video_id":0,"_birdpress_hero_video":0,"_birdpress_hero_youtube":"","_birdpress_hero_content":true,"_birdpress_hero_byline":"","_birdpress_hero_byline_bottom":"","_birdpress_hero_button_link":"","_birdpress_hero_button_text":"","_birdpress_hero_button_color":"","_birdpress_hero_date":true,"original_guid":"","_birdpress_hide_search":false,"_birdpress_page_width":"","_birdpress_global_cta":false,"_birdpress_widget_sidebar":"","_birdpress_next_article":0,"_birdpress_next_article_title":"","_birdpress_prev_article":0,"_birdpress_prev_article_title":"","_birdpress_sub_navigation_id":0,"_birdpress_sub_navigation":"","_birdpress_sub_navigation_title":false,"_birdpress_anchor_navigation_id":0,"_birdpress_anchor_navigation":"","_birdpress_postType":"both","_birdpress_categoryID":0,"_birdpress_tagID":0,"_birdpress_parentPostID":0,"_birdpress_parentPostTitle":"","_birdpress_menuID":0,"_birdpress_menuName":"","_birdpress_listHeader":"","_birdpress_listLayout":"card-display","_birdpress_listColumns":"","_birdpress_maxItems":12,"_birdpress_listPaginate":true,"_birdpress_displaySort":true,"_birdpress_sortOrder":"DESC","_birdpress_sortBy":"date","_birdpress_listID":"","_birdpress_listClass":"","_birdpress_displayImages":true,"_birdpress_displayCaptions":false,"_birdpress_displayExcerpts":false,"_birdpress_attTop":"","_birdpress_attBottom":"","_birdpress_showLogos":false,"_birdpress_post_logo":0,"_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[0],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_tribe_blocks_recurrence_rules":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_description":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_exclusions":"","wds_primary_category":1,"wds_primary_topic":0,"wds_primary_content-format":0,"wds_primary_cornell-lab-project":0,"wds_primary_host-project":0,"wds_primary_read-more-tag":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"topic":[996,1027],"content-format":[1055],"cornell-lab-project":[],"host-project":[],"read-more-tag":[1146],"class_list":["post-16776","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","topic-faqs","topic-science-conservation","content-format-article","read-more-tag-evergreen"],"metadata":{"associated-posts":[""],"wpa_off":[""],"_edit_lock":["1691619501:4"],"_edit_last":["4"],"wdsi_message_id":[""],"wdsi_do_not_show":[""],"custom-byline":[""],"banner-video":[""],"banner-image":[""],"fallback-videobanner-image":[""],"original_guid":[""],"banner-text-style":["light"],"featured-image-display":["no"],"_birdpress_next_article":["0"],"_birdpress_prev_article":["0"],"_webdados_fb_open_graph_specific_image":["https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/04\/Long-billed_Curlew-Greg_Gard-BS-social.jpg"],"dsq_thread_id":["4057617151"],"_thumbnail_id":["58346"],"banner-style":["default"],"hide-from-search":["no"],"_webdados_fb_open_graph_specific_description":[""],"banner-transcript":[""],"_wds_trimmed_excerpt":["Whatever you chose to call it, this Long-billed Curlew has one impressive bill...or beak. 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