beak

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beak

black skimmer, male pileated woodpecker, and male American goldfinch (Elizabeth Morales)

n.

1. 1. The horny, projecting structure forming the mandibles of a bird, especially one that is strong, sharp, and useful in striking and tearing; a bill.
   2. A similar structure in other animals, such as turtles, insects, or fish.
2. A usually firm, tapering tip on certain plant structures, such as some seeds and fruits.
3. A beaklike structure or part, as:
   1. The spout of a pitcher.
   2. A metal or metal-clad ram projecting from the bow of an ancient warship.
4. Informal. The human nose.
5. Chiefly British Slang.
   1. A schoolmaster.
   2. A judge.

[Middle English bek, from Old French bec, from Latin beccus, of Celtic origin.]

beaked beaked (bēkt) adj.

noun

1. The horny projection forming a bird's jaws: bill. See mouth.
2. The structure on the human face that contains the nostrils and organs of smell and forms the beginning of the respiratory tract: nose, proboscis. Informal snoot. Slang nozzle, schnoz, schnozzle, snout. See body/spirit, convex/concave.

For more information on beak, visit Britannica.com.

The hard keratinization (or rhamphotheca) which provides the horny covering of the beak bones, plus the beak bones, of birds. The dorsal ridge of the upper beak is the culmen, the similar keel of the lower beak is the gonys. The cutting edges of the beak are the tomia. Called also bill.

Different shape of beak between species. By permission from Aspinall V, O'Reilly M, Introduction to Veterinary Anatomy and Physiology, Butterworth Heinemann, 2004

• b. avulsion — traumatic separation of the upper and lower beak at the base requires hand feeding for survival of the bird. Some attempts at devising an artificial beak have been made, but attachment is a major problem.
• b. fracture — occurs with trauma and requires immobilization, often with innovative procedures (see acrylic glue), without restricting food intake by the bird during recovery. Severe trauma may result in avulsion of upper or lower beak.
• b. necrosis — a condition of chickens and turkeys caused by excessively fine mashed feeds.
• b. overgrowth — can result from malocclusion, liver disease, lack of wear, aging, nutritional deficiency, and most commonly infestation by the mite, Cnemidocoptes pilae.
• psittacine b. and feather disease — see psittacine beak and feather disease.
• b. sign — the radiographic feature of contrast material extending through an elongated, concentrically narrowed pylorus indicative of hypertrophy of the sphincter.
• b. trimming — in most modern poultry houses the chances of cannibalism developing are so high that beak trimming is almost a necessity, especially if the birds are to be reared in full light. Light-restricted accommodation greatly reduces the prevalence of this vice. A temporary trim is done at a few days of age but a permanent trim is necessary later. Special instruments, utilizing a hot, cutting blade cautery, are used and the operation must be done by an expert or badly deformed beaks result and the birds are unable to feed properly. Alternatives to trimming include the fitting of spectacles or pick guards but these are expensive, time-consuming to put on and not feasible for birds in cages.

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Dansk (Danish)
n. - fuglenæb

Nederlands (Dutch)
snavel, bek, tuit, haakneus, rechter, hoofd van school

Français (French)
n. - bec, nez (crochu), (GB) juge (fam), (GB, École) protal (arch, arg)

Deutsch (German)
n. - Schnabel

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - ράμφος, μυταρόλα, (Βρετ.) δικαστής

Italiano (Italian)
becco

Português (Portuguese)
n. - bico (m), esporão (m) de navio, colher (m), bocal (m) (Mús.)

Русский (Russian)
клюв, судья

Español (Spanish)
n. - pico, nariz ganchuda, promontorio, pitorro

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - näbb, kran, polisdomare

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
鸟嘴, 口, 喙状嘴, 鹰钩鼻, 治安法官, 治安推事

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 鳥嘴, 口, 喙狀嘴, 鷹鉤鼻, 治安法官, 治安推事

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 부리[모양의 것], 뱃머리

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 嘴, くち先, 口, 鼻, くちばし状のもの

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) منقار, أنف, قاضي, حاكم, مدرس,‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮מקור, חרטום, אף, חוטם, שופט שלום, מנהל בי"ס‬

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giant pink geeky beak