Most birds make many trips per day away from their nest to find food.
Similarly, the nest-bound chick is stuck, without meals, when its parents are off on a long feeding trip. For most bird species, a chick would starve to death during these long stays alone at the nest. A separatory funnel is used to separate liquids that have different densities. The lighter liquid floats on top of the heavier liquid, and the heavier liquid can be let out of the funnel by opening a hole at the bottom of the funnel. Below you can see a separatory funnel at work.