Story 27. How Do Birds Eat?
Little Anne is watching a bird eat.
The bird is not chewing.
I chew my food with my teeth, she thinks.
Do birds have teeth? she wonders.
No, Anne, birds do not have teeth.
Look at the pointed thing on a bird's head.
It's called a beak.
Birds use their beaks to pick up food.
Then they swallow it without chewing.
But the food doesn't go directly to the stomach.
Birds store food in a special place in their necks called a crop.
Birds are the only animals that have crops.
After a while, the food slowly moves down to the bird's stomach.
Inside the stomach, there is a special part called a gizzard.
The gizzard is filled with sand and small stones that break down food into very small pieces.
Some birds have very strong gizzards that can even break down small pieces of steel.
Wow!
That is really strong!
All animals eat, but not all animals need teeth to eat well.
That's just the way it is in nature.
