Pied Billed Grebe Grebes and Loons need water to take off Vultures Turkey Vulture Falcons Kestrel Falcon Peregrine Falcon Aside from feathers, the most distinguishing anatomical characteristics of many avian predatory species are beaks and talons. Beak is a term used most precisely to describe the decurved bill of owls and raptors.
Talons are the ferocious weapons protruding from their toes.
These two features contribute tremendously to the predatory prowess and often-fierce appearance of these birds. The development of a bill is one of many adaptations birds have made to improve their survivability. The bill is actually a rigid keratinous sheath called the ramphotheca. In mammals, nails, claws, and hair are composed of keratin. The lightweight bill is far more conducive to flight than a heavy jaw full of teeth.