One very passionate and creative man, Henry Lappen, took his love and knowledge for birds coupled with his passion for performance arts and created an educational artistic experience for all: A Passion For Birds. According to his website,

A Passion for Birds uses masks to inspire an appreciation and understanding of the avian world. Captivated by Henry Lappen’s beautiful masks and comic portrayal of birds, participants learn how animals adapt to their environment, and why they look and act the way they do.

• Birds’ beaks are compared with common tools.
• Feathers and footprints are explored.
• Science facts and anecdotes are shared.

A Passion for Birds covers several of the core curriculum standards for science. A curriculum guide is available.
 Henry’s combined love and knowledge of birds, and his extraordinary ability as a performer make for a very lively show.

Throughout it all, Henry dances among the crowd demonstrating the form and motion of the different species. Learning some specific mime skills, and imaging more, the audience joins him, taking on the character of each bird while gaining additional knowledge about it. Participants don the masks, and soar as Eagles, stalk as Herons and swim as Puffins. Additional topics include nest building, preening and hiding from danger.

One of his birds of choice is the ATLANTIC PUFFIN!!! =) See the photograph below of his puffin mask…

Photo Source: http://www.henrylappen.com/birdgallery/index.html

You can watch a video clip of the performance here. Or if you are in the Massachusetts area in the end of July,

“The Massachusettes Department of Conservation and Recreation will present “A Passion for Birds”, a comic, interactive, educational show, at 11 a.m. Sunday, July 31, at Wachusett Mountain State Reservation 345 Mountain Road. Created and performed by Henry Lappen, “A Passion for Birds” (formerly Birds in Their Habitat) uses realistic, handmade masks to explore how different birds have evolved different shapes and behaviors to adapt to their environment. Participants get a chance to try on the masks and soar as Eagles, swim as Puffins, and stalk as Herons. This program is free and registration is not required. For information, call Matt at (978) 464-2987.”¹

1. http://www.leominsterchamp.com/news/2010-07-16/Your_City/A_PASSION_FOR_BIRDS_PERFORMANCE.html [↩]

Beaks, bills, bird noses—whatever you wish to call them—they are important to every bird.¹ They are full of live tissues, regenerating after billing (a puffin’s form of kissing / affection where they rub bills together), bill-wiping (to clean their bills—typically on rocks or hard surfaces), eating, and defending their young.  The tips of bird beaks grow constantly due to continual wear and tear. Some bird’s beaks even grow longer according to the season. The beak of the Puffin is one example of seasonal change. While it does not change in size, it changes in color. Puffins molt the the colorful outer sheath of their bills after breeding (seasonally).  Their beaks brighten or fade in color when the old skin is worn down and the new layers are revealed depending on which season it happens to be. Maybe they do not need the extra attention they receive with their bright colorful beaks after they have wooed their loves and mated for the season. Perhaps it becomes a liability—making them more susceptible to predators.

Nares (nostrils) are often on the upper part of the beak. These can vary depending on the bird and its needs. For example, some birds have a protective flap, the operculum, covering part of the nostrils. This is helpful in keeping debris out.² To each bird their own beak.

Most birds have black beaks and bills. There are some birds who have colorful beaks such as the Common Merganser, the Ruddy Duck or the choughs from the Corvid Family of birds. Besides the Toucan, no other birds compare to the magnificently colorful beaked Puffins.

Beak of the Puffin

References

Podulka, Sandy, Ronald W. Rohrbaugh, Jr., and Rick Bonney, Editors. Handbook of Bird Biology. 2nd edition. Ithaca, NY: Cornell Lab of Ornithology, 2004.

1. FYI: The visible portion of the bill is called the rhamphotheca. The bill actually does extend inside the face. [↩]
2. Podulka, Sandy, Ronald W. Rohrbaugh, Jr., and Rick Bonney, Editors. Handbook of Bird Biology. 2nd edition. Ithaca, NY: Cornell Lab of Ornithology, 2004. [↩]