Why do birds wipe their beaks?

[dexterdoglancashire]

Glad your preventitive (sp?) measures seem to be working. Have you had any eggs yet?

[Eco-Chic]

No eggs yet. I'm not really expecting any this side of Christmas with the days shortening.

[organic]

Organic that's a lovely story and have seen the blackbirds on my front lawn doing something similar but didn't know why. I'll keep a closer eye on them, with binos if necessary, to see if I can see anything in more detail.

We have a set of binos sitting in the kitchen so they are always ready to take a closer look at things in the garden. I usually have a spotting scope on a tripod in the living room too. Last winter I had it focused on the suet-ball feeder all the time. It was great to get such a close look at such a wide variety of birds eating their fill.

[MaureenHall]

And here was me thinking that chooks wiped their beaks on the ground (or on anything else handy) because their tongues weren't long enough to lick their lips

[Two_Sheds]

Unless they're waiting for me to take the shells off

Yep! Just crushing the larger shells a bit under your boot will make them easier to swallow. Although there's nothing funnier than a chook with a snail stuck on her beak, being chased around the run by all the others.

[pdblake]

One of ours always does it on a flagstone. She looks like she's sharpening a knife

[Two_Sheds]

Im sort of testing them out, seeing what they will and wont eat.
Cooked pasta=1 Currant teacake=0

My African Grey loves:

soft cooked pumpkin
mashed potato
corn cobs (no kernels tho)
peas in the pod
boiled egg

but not that keen on pasta or rice.

Oh, and a fresh chilli, which she then beak-wipes all over my face

[bluemoon]

Mine tend to only wipe their beaks when covered in slug snot.

[Eco-Chic]

Mine tend to only wipe their beaks when covered in slug snot.

How naice

[CoraxAurata]

I spotted an egg eater the other day because she had done such a poor job of cleaning her beak.... caught red handed as it were.....

[Hilary B]

I spotted an egg eater the other day because she had done such a poor job of cleaning her beak.... caught red handed as it were.....

Well yellow beaked anyway........