There are a number of bird species that have white or partially white beaks. The color of a bird’s beak can provide clues about its diet and lifestyle. Birds with white beaks tend to be carnivorous or piscivorous, using their beaks to catch fish and other prey. However, some species also use their pale beaks to probe for seeds and fruits. Read on to learn more about some of the most notable bird species with white or whitish beaks.
Pelicans
Pelicans are large waterbirds known for their throat pouches used for catching fish. The most widespread pelican species, the American white pelican, has a very long bill that grows up to 18 inches long. The bill is grayish yellow at the base that fades into orange and then pinkish white towards the tip. It has a hook at the end useful for snatching slippery fish. Pelicans rub the insides of their pouches on their beaks to drain the water before swallowing their catch. Other pelican species like the brown pelican and Peruvian pelican also have pale bills used for fishing.
Spoonbills
There are six species of spoonbills in the genera Platalea and Ajaja. As their name suggests, these bizarre-looking birds have flattened, spoon-shaped bills that widen out at the ends. Spoonbills swing their heads back and forth through shallow water, sifting out small fish, crustaceans and insects. The roseate spoonbill has a bright pink and white bill, but other species are black and white. The Eurasian spoonbill’s bill is pale yellow, while the royal spoonbill’s bill is black with a yellow tip.
Ibises
These long-legged wading birds have downcurved bills adapted for probing into mud to find food. There are many ibises with pale bills, including the straw-necked ibis, sacred ibis, and glossy ibis. The Australian white ibis has an especially prominent, curved, grayish white bill and bare black head and neck. It is a common urban bird in Australian cities. Other predominantly white ibises include the scarlet ibis and American white ibis.
Storks
Storks tend to have large, thick bills that are well-suited to catching frogs, fish and small vertebrates. The greater adjutant and lesser adjutant storks are giant, predominantly white birds with massive orange bills. The smaller wood stork of North America also has a relatively heavy white bill. But some storks like the Milky Stork and Painted Stork are more slender with finer bills. These and other tropical species have colorful facial skin that contrasts with their paler bills.
Herons and Egrets
In the heron family Ardeidae, white morphs exist in several genera alongside the more typical slate-gray species. The great egret, reddish egret, snowy egret and little egret all have beautiful, lance-shaped bills that turn black near the tips. These egrets hunt fish by standing still and spearing them, or stirring up vegetation to disturb prey. The Chinese egret and Western reef heron also have pale bills. The tricolored heron has a white stripe down the middle of its otherwise dark bill.
Tropicbirds
The three tropicbird species are pelagic seabirds identified by their graceful, streaming tail feathers. They have small but stout bills with tube-like nostrils that assist in removing salt from their bodies. The red-billed tropicbird and red-tailed tropicbird are mostly white with bright orange-red bills. The white-tailed tropicbird is solid white with black accents around the eyes and wings.
Gulls
Many species in the gull family Laridae have pale bills that can range from yellow to gray to bone-white. The Ivory gull lives up to its name with an entirely white plumage and short, thick bill. Dolphin gulls, gray gulls, and black-tailed gulls also have largely white bills. The widespread herring gull has a yellow bill with a reddish spot. Gulls use their lightweight bills to pick up all kinds of marine prey and scavenged foods.
Auks
Auks are a family of stubby, chunky seabirds well-adapted to diving and swimming underwater. Most auk species have black backs and white bellies. Their short, pointed bills are also black, but the rhinoceros auklet and crested auklet have white ornamentations. The parakeet auklet has a colorful multi-hued bill. Auks use their bills to catch small fish, crustaceans and other invertebrates.
Terns
Terns are graceful, floating birds that plunge-dive for small fish. Most terns have orange or red bills, but the Aleutian tern and Antarctic tern breed with yellowish-white and black bills. The white-winged black tern has a black body but white forehead and underparts. During the winter, the black bill also fades to white. Other terns with paler bills include the fairy tern and Saunders’s tern.
Shearwaters
Shearwaters are pelagic seabirds in the Procellariidae family known for shearing through waves on stiff wings. Several species have pale bills, such as the streaked shearwater, pink-footed shearwater, flesh-footed shearwater and sooty shearwater. The Cape Verde shearwater’s bill is yellow with a black tip. These tube-nosed birds use their bills to catch fish, squid and oceanic crustaceans.
Boobies
Boobies are large, pantropical seabirds with aerodynamic bodies and pointed wings for diving into water to catch prey. Their bills are slender and sharply hooked. The blue-footed booby and Peruvian booby have colorful turquoise bills, but the Nazca booby and red-footed booby have pale cream-colored bills with dark tips.
Frigatebirds
Frigatebirds are masters of aerial piracy, harassing other birds until they regurgitate their food, which the frigatebird scoops up out of the air. The magnificent frigatebird and lesser frigatebird have slender, pointed, grayish white bills with hooked tips. The Ascension frigatebird has a yellow bill, while females have a bluish bill during breeding season. Their bills are adapted for a diet of fish and ocean invertebrates.
Cormorants
Cormorants are common fishing birds with compact, dense bodies and slender bills. During breeding season the double-crested cormorant develops a small white patch at the base of its orange-yellow bill. The red-faced cormorant has bright orange facial skin bordering its pale yellow bill. Great cormorants have black bills that gain a pale base in the winter. Cormorants dive from the surface and pursue fish underwater.
Anhingas
Closely related to cormorants, anhingas also have long necks and spear-like bills for spearing fish. But unlike cormorants, anhingas have straight, needle-like bills. The anhinga found in North and South America is mostly black but has a light gray, silvery bill. Old World darters in the genus Anhinga have black and brown plumage with pale yellowish or orange bills.
Gannets
Gannets are large seabirds with pale yellowish heads and long, pointed bills. Their bills are serrated with nail-like grooves that help grip slippery fish. The northern gannet is bright white with black wingtips. The Australasian gannet has mostly white plumage with a pale yellow head. Cape gannets breed around southern Africa and have black and white markings. Gannets perform stunning plunge dives for fish often from heights of 100 feet.
skuas
Skuas and jaegers are seabirds in the skua family Stercorariidae. They harass other birds to make them regurgitate their food, which they swoop down to steal. Species like the long-tailed jaeger, pomarine jaeger and parasitic jaeger have barred black, brown and white plumage. Their bills range from grayish-pink to yellowish-horn colored. They use their bills to grab fleeing fish near the surface.
Albatrosses
Albatrosses are among the largest flying seabirds. Their large, hooked bills are adapted for seizing squid, fish and krill. The light-mantled albatross has a gray and pink bill with a yellow tip. The black-browed albatross’s bill is blue-gray with a yellowish culmen. The yellow-nosed albatross and gray-headed albatross also have bills with a yellowish or orange cast. Albatross bills contain elongated tube nostrils for filtering out salt.
Auks
Auks are a family of seabirds well adapted to swimming with their short, stubby wings. Most auks have black-and-white plumage with darker bills, but some species have pale bills. The rhinoceros auklet has a yellowish bill with a white vertical stripe. The crested auklet has a curved yellow bill with seasonal white ornamentation. Auks use their pointed bills to catch small fish, crustaceans and other prey.
Geese
Many geese species have at least partially white or pale-colored bills. Canada geese and cackling geese have a black head and neck with a light tan bill. Barnacle geese have black heads but mostly white bodies and bills. The red-breasted goose has a red face and legs with a rosy pink bill. Even darker species like the brant goose have pale bills with black markings. Geese use their bills for grazing on plants and aquatic vegetation.
Swans
Swans are larger waterfowl known for their graceful appearance. Most swan species have black bills with varying amounts of yellow, orange or pink. Mute swans have an all-orange bill with a black knob on top. Trumpeter swans and tundra swans have black bills with just a small orange or pink marking. Swans sometimes “bill-dip” underwater to feed on aquatic plants and algae.
Ducks
Male ducks tend to have the most vibrantly colored bills during breeding season. The male wood duck has a bold red, yellow and iridescent green bill. Male mandarin ducks have orange bills with a black saddle. Other ducks with light-colored bills include the northern shoveler, garganey, falcated duck and marbled duck. Dabbling ducks feed at the water’s surface, while diving ducks hunt underwater.
Loons
Loons are diving birds with thick, pointed bills adapted for spearing fish. The common loon has a black head and checkered back with a heavy gray bill. The yellow-billed loon is similarly marked but with a brownish-yellow bill. Red-throated loons and Pacific loons have reddish bills during breeding season. Arctic loons look very similar but retain darker bills year-round. Loons use their dense bodies to dive deep underwater.
Grebes
Grebes are small diving birds with lobed toes and dense, waterproof plumage. Horned grebes have black faces surrounding a pale yellow bill. Red-necked grebes also have black caps and a gray bill with a yellow tip. Eared grebes develop a blaze of gold feathers behind their eyes along with golden plumes on their heads. Their bills are black in winter but fade to yellow in summer. Grebes hunt small fish and aquatic invertebrates.
Avocets
Avocets are elegant waders with slender, upcurved bills. They sweep their bills back and forth through shallow water to catch invertebrates. The pied avocet has bold black and white plumage with a thin, gray bill. American avocets have cinnamon-colored plumage on the head and neck, contrasting with their pale blue-gray bills. Avocets’ bills are slightly flexible, allowing them to probe into mud.
Oystercatchers
The oystercatchers are a group of waders named for their habit of prying open mollusk shells. The Eurasian oystercatcher and black oystercatcher have red bills used for probing between shells. The blackish oystercatcher of South America has a red bill and eyes. The Magellanic oystercatcher’s bill is flatter and orange-tipped. They use their bills like chisels to cut open mussels, limpets and chitons.
Conclusion
Birds have evolved a stunning diversity of bill shapes and colors to match their many foraging strategies and food sources. While most bird bills are dark-colored, many species have evolved white or pale bills as an adaptation. Pelicans, spoonbills, egrets, storks gulls, terns, boobies and other waterbirds use their pale bills to catch fish. But ibises, some ducks, geese and swans have light bills optimized for grazing. And auks, gannets and cormorants have bills adapted for diving. The variety of form highlights the flexibility of the beak for avian feeding.
While a white beak serves different purposes for different species, it functions as an important tool in each case. Its coloration is tied closely to its use, whether that’s fishing, filter feeding, probing mud, prying open shellfish or pecking at vegetation. So a white beak reveals a lot about a bird’s ecological role. This makes it an interesting feature to observe in wild birds and appreciate as an adaptation.