The baby bluebirds came by for breakfast this morning. It was a bit comical to watch the male bluebird hop from one branch to another, trying to appease the hungry fledglings.
While he was busy feeding one youngster, another would be squawking impatiently.
When I downloaded these photos to my computer, I noticed something interesting in the picture below. It looks like the baby has teeth.
Here, I’ll zoom in so you can have a better look.
See what I mean? I’ve always heard, with the exception of a few ducks and geese, that birds don’t have teeth. I looked in my guidebooks and searched the internet, and the only thing I could find was that perhaps it is a set of spines that help keep some foods from going in and other foods from coming back out.
Maybe my fellow blogger Sue, who is a former biology teacher, can help me out. What say ye Sue? (You can visit her site at the link below.)
http://bybio.wordpress.com/
These baby birds certainly are demanding, but they are a delight to watch.
Backyard Bird Nerd 
Beautiful photos! Not sure about the “teeth”.
I believe that’s a Stink Bug that’s upside down and you can see the transparent wings open.
Bluebirds eat bugs of any kind because is a good source of protein. 🙂
I think you have solved the mystery!…but it certainly was fun to imagine they were teeth!
I agree. What you are seeing as teeth are the outer margins of the elytra that cover the wings, and you can just make out a piece of the transparent wing in the photo as well. But yes, it does sort of look like teeth.
Thanks…teeth would have been cool, but it is also amazing to see the baby with a bug in its mouth!
Check this link: bottom right part.
http://iredell.ces.ncsu.edu/2012/10/stink-bugs-out-in-full-force/
And I forgot to add, another set of terrific baby bluebird photos!
First, love the baby shots, they are fun to watch, I should soon be getting the chance to watch Robins daily, and boy they get really impatient! lol Sometimes the parents just ignore them as you’ve shown and that’s where it gets really comical. 🙂 And, WOW, when I saw the ‘teeth’, I was like whoa….what?? And it’s a stinkbug, I really had to laugh, ‘cuz I was thinking that’s crazy. I was ready to google myself! lol Still, WOW, you do have a really cool shot with that bug in his mouth. I love unique shots and that sure is one! Great post Kathy!
What a wonderful post and blog!! Love everything here – such great photos. I’m just beginning with photography and have a looooong way to go! I truly enjoyed your blue bird babies!