November 2025 – Discover-Nature

Two main types of forests grow in the regions between the tropics and the poles, deciduous forest and coniferous forest. A majority of energy from sunlight is captured by the canopy vegetation, with little leftover to reach the forest floor. And yet, the lowest level of the forest has an abundance of food and organisms.

Deciduous species are mainly hardwoods including oak, birch, maple, ash, beech, and hickory. These trees have leaves that are broad and flat, designed to catch sunlight. Conifer forests are made up mostly of softwood tree species from the pine and fir families. Most conifers have leaves that are long, thin, and needle-like, a compact form of leaf that is often waxy and designed to withstand the rigors of an environment that is cold and dry for long periods.

^{Green ash tree leaf in summer & autumn by Alain de Maximy}

Chlorophyll is a chemical that is synthesized by plants and gives leaves and needles their characteristic green color. Plants use chlorophyll to absorb energy from sunlight and use that energy to power the process of photosynthesis which creates carbohydrates, providing food for the rest of the plant. Senescence, the process that occurs when a plant stops making chlorophyll, happens as seasons change and day length shortens while temperatures fall. As chlorophyll is removed, leaves and needles lose their green hues and show their underlying colors of browns, reds, and oranges even as they die and fall to the forest floor.

^{Black beetle on forest floor by Undefined, Getty Images; Forest floor fungi cluster in Autumn woods by Vladimir Srajber, Pexels; Springtail on fallen log by Henrik L, Getty Images; Lush moss covering the forest floor by Doina Gherban}

Fallen leaves create a thick layer of litter, broken down by a rich variety of decomposers including mosses, fungi, insects, and other invertebrates. Decaying vegetation releases nutrients back into the soil to be used once more as food for other forest plants. The annual leaf fall adds an estimated 2,600 pounds of vegetation per acre back into forest habitats worldwide.

In deciduous forests, all of the leaves typically fall in late autumn opening up the forest floor to sunlight in early spring. A group of plants known as spring ephemerals take advantage of this sunlight to quickly flower, bloom, and reproduce before leaves re-appear and shade once more rules the forest floor. In conifer forests, where shade is ever-present, flora is restricted to shade-loving species such as ferns and fungi. In addition, fir and pine tree needles are high in acid content and their leaf litter is only broken down by a relatively few fungi species over long periods of time.

All forest floors are rich with many organisms present throughout the year. Invertebrates including insects, fungi, and small mammals spend their entire lives living in the leaf litter. Detritus from leaf fall provides food and nutrients throughout the year to the plants and other organisms living in these wonderful habitats. As you walk the forests, no matter what the season, think about all of the life going on around you each day on the rich woodland floor.

Beaks or bills? Two interchangeable words naming the horny part of the jaw of a bird. They have numerous uses including gathering food, feeding, preening, and display, and are often used for functions that would be accomplished by arms and hands on other animal species. Let’s take a closer look at their structure and how birds use them for feeding.

Beaks come in a variety of sizes, and most are proportionate to the size of the bird’s head. Two or more of the bones comprising the lower jaw in birds are often fused together, increasing the strength of the overall structure. Birds do not have teeth, allowing the jaw bones to be lightweight, making it easier for a bird to hold its head out in front of its body while flying.

^{Barn owl, Tyto alba, skull showing fused jaw bones by Didier Descouens, Jul 2010}

Beaks are made from bone covered with keratin, a structural protein providing strength and rigidity. Yet beaks have some flexibility which adds to their dexterity when in use. The inner surface of the keratin layer is constantly growing while the outer surface is equally being worn away by use. Both upper and lower jaws are jointed where they attach to the skull, allowing for extended movements including the ability of a bird to open its jaws wider than most other animal species.

^{Great white pelican, Pelecanus onocrotalus, by Craig Adam, Feb 2013; Red-headed woodpecker, Melanerpes erythrocephalus, by Mark Moschell, May 2016; Evening grosbeak, Hesperiphona vespertina, by Fishhawk, Feb 2021}

A beak is specialized for every species depending on diet and food gathering methods. Cone-shaped beaks, found among cardinals, grosbeaks, and finches, can trap, cut, and crush seeds. Scoop-shaped beaks allow skimmers, spoonbills, and pelicans to slide their lower jaw under slippery prey, then catch and hold onto it . Beaks tipped with a chisel-like point are used by woodpeckers probing into crevices in hard materials. Along with a reinforced skull, keratin reinforces the beak’s toughness, standing up to repeated hammering and prying movements.

^{From upper left: Blue-gray gnatcatcher, Polioptila caerulea, by Dave Wendelken, Jul 2023; Pied flycatcher, Ficedula hypoleuca, by Edward Anderton, Jun 2012; Ruby-throated hummingbird, Archilocus colubris, by Mark Moschell, Jun 2019; Great-horned owl, Bubo virgianus, by Kevin Milazzo, Feb 2021}

Narrow tweezer-like beaks, used by gnatcatchers, warblers, and wrens, stab or seize small insects from branches. Wider and flatter tweezer-shaped beaks on purple martins and flycatchers can snatch an insect in flight. Long, slender beaks on hummingbirds are made for sucking nectar from the deep recesses of long, tubular flowers as well as catching tiny insects, such as fruit flies. Sharply pointed, hooked beaks are used by eagles, owls, hawks and shrikes to stab prey and hold on while pulling the meat apart into mouthful-sized chunks.

Many beaks serve more than one feeding function, as species change their diet from one type of food to another as seasons change. Tongues are an important addition to the mouth, manipulating food items for beaks to be more effective. Different sizes and colors of beaks convey information to other individuals about a birds sex and maturity level. This essential body part provides birds with many of the same capabilities as other animal species. Come to the Jurica-Suchy Nature Museum, or a nature center near you, to learn more about the many adaptations of birds.

Month: November 2025

Forest Floor

Bird Beaks