Small Bird With Long Beak
Small birds with long beaks are aplenty on this earth but we might not realize just how many they are, what they are called, or what they look like.
There are numerous magical and majestic birds with long curved beaks which help them stand out from the crowd and most importantly, help them find food easily.
So what are these types of birds and how do we tell them apart? We look at the different types of small birds with long beaks in this article to help you spot a few on your next bird-watching trip! Let’s jump in.
Black Skimmer
Kicking off with one of the most famous smaller birds with a large beak and this is the Black Skimmer.
It is a seabird that belongs to the gull family Laridae and breeds in North and South America. It only grows up to 40 or 50 cm long but its wingspan is about 120 cm.
It weighs just 212-447 g but there is a big difference in weight between male and female birds.
You might be wondering how to spot one of these birds. Well, if you notice half of the beak is red and the rest is black, you might have found one. The bill is elongated and the eyes have a very dark iris. The legs are also red.
Toco Toucan
The toucan is famous for its long and distinguishable beak but the toco toucan is one of the most famous of its species there is.
It is often bred in semi-open habitats in central and eastern South America and its long, orange beak with a black tip helps them pluck from trees as well as feast on their prey.
They like to use their beak to eat frogs, small reptiles, smaller birds, insects, eggs, and even nestlings.
Although not the smallest bird on this list, their magnificent beak means they are worth a mention.
Rufous-Tailed Jacamar
This jacamar certainly cannot miss its chance for a mention on this list. With a big elongated beak, but only measuring 25 centimeters, it’s definitely what we would call a small bird with a long beak.
Its beak measure 5 centimeters long and it is a passerine bird that breeds in Central and South America, as well as regions of Mexico.
The rufous-tailed jacamar loves catching insects and lives in woodlands and scrubs which have dry or moist environments.
If you are trying to spot the bird, notice its bright green body with a bright distinguishable orange underbelly.
Slender-billed Scimitar Babbler
Despite this bird being quite a mouthful to say, they are definitely worth a place on this list.
They are passerine birds and belong to the Old World babbler family. With a grey top and a brown underbelly, their colors can be quite dull, but their long and pointy beaks help them stand out from the crowd.
The species are bred in the Himalayas and the northern parts of Vietnam.
Malachite Kingfisher
This kingfisher is a river kingfisher and is bred in parts of Africa. It was first given the binomial name Alcedo cristata and can grow just 13cm in length, making it one of the smallest birds on this list.
If you are trying to spot a malachite kingfisher, you will need to look out for a bright metallic blue body and feathers.
You will notice a rufous face, cheeks, and underbelly and then white patches on the neck and throat.
Its bright colors make it one of the most beautiful birds you can spot in Sub-Saharan Africa!
House Wren
We can’t write a list of small birds and not give credit to the tiny house wren.
The house wren is a small bird with a long beak and is commonly seen across North and South America.
It thrives in the forest and urban outskirts and has a gray and red tone to it.
The species love to use their beak to feast on butterfly larvae, small insects, and beetles.
They only grow up to around 5 inches and weigh as little as 0.022 pounds.
Long-Billed Curlew
If you are looking for a bird with a long beak, the long-billed curlew’s name gives it away from the get-go! It is America’s longest shorebird and though is a slightly larger bird, it has an extremely long beak of up to 8.6 inches to probe deep in sand and mud to look for aquatic invertebrates to feast on.
They love to spend time in the wetlands, mudflats and flooded fields or beaches and the long neck and bill are their most distinguishable features in any habitat. You will also find them sometimes accompanied by smaller foraging birds such as Marbled Godwits.
Great Spotted Kiwi
The Great Spotted Kiwi is a small and almost wingless bird with a long beak that is found mostly in areas in New Zealand.
It is a flightless bird and belongs to the same family as the emu and ostrich. Even though it is so small, it can still outrun any human.
It is a dense bird with bones that contain marrow and this often means they find it difficult to nest in trees.
Instead, they prefer to dig burrows instead of building a nest and they have modified feathers to act as whiskers around the base of their long beak.
Final Thoughts
We hope this article has helped you distinguish and identify some common and less common small birds with long and large beaks.
On this list are some incredible species that any bird watcher would be thrilled to spot put on a bird-watching trip.
So take note of the colors, the size, and shapes of different beaks, and you never know what you might spot for yourself! Tick them off this list every time you spot one!
