Department of Energy Argonne National Laboratory Office of Science NEWTON's Homepage NEWTON's Homepage
NEWTON, Ask A Scientist!
NEWTON Home Page NEWTON Teachers Visit Our Archives Ask A Question How To Ask A Question Question of the Week Our Expert Scientists Volunteer at NEWTON! Frequently Asked Questions Referencing NEWTON About NEWTON About Ask A Scientist Education At Argonne Eagle Beak Regrowth 
Name: Wendy G.
Status: educator
Age: 40s
Location: N/A
Country: N/A
Date: 5/18/2004
Question:
Do Eagles ever lose their beaks and then regrow them? I've had emails twice in the past year that claim this but have never heard it to be true?

Replies:
Its a tricky question. A bird's beak is made of two parts, bones that are part of the skull and the hard sheath that makes up the beak itself. Beaks of raptors, including eagles, grow constantly at the tip to replace wear, captive birds that do not wear down their beaks normally must have them clipped from time to time to prevent overgrowth. A damaged beak may regrow, sometimes with malformations, if the damage is only to the outer portion and not the bone. Birds never "lose" their beaks in any regular way, and are not likely to recover from damage to the bone, unless it is minor.

J. Elliott

Click here to return to the Zoology Archives

NEWTON is an electronic community for Science, Math, and Computer Science K-12 Educators, sponsored and operated by Argonne National Laboratory's Educational Programs, Andrew Skipor, Ph.D., Head of Educational Programs.

For assistance with NEWTON contact a System Operator (help@newton.dep.anl.gov), or at Argonne's Educational Programs

NEWTON AND ASK A SCIENTIST
Educational Programs
Building 360
9700 S. Cass Ave.
Argonne, Illinois
60439-4845, USA
Update: February 2012
Weclome To Newton

Argonne National Laboratory