The beak is composed of an upper jaw called the maxilla, and a lower jaw called the mandible. The jaw is made of bone, typically hollow or porous to conserve weight for flying. The outside surface of the beak is covered by a thin horny sheath of keratin.

The beak continues to grow throughout the bird's life and is constantly worn down by feeding, climbing, chewing, playing and rubbing. The rate of keratin replacement depends upon the use of the beak.

Sometimes parts of the beak look a bit flaky or cracked, but this is normal because they are composed of layers. The beak will shale with normal use, meaning the layers, like your fingernails can peel and chip.

Excessive flaking, chipping or overgrowing can indicate a nutritional problem or illness, such as liver disease. In addition to trauma, bacteria, fungi, viruses and parasites can damage the layers of the beak. Calcium and vitamin D3 deficiency may result in what is called “Soft Beak”.

Our Greys might break the tip of their beak off by hitting it if they land awkwardly after a flight or fall. In that case, the bird often refuses to eat because his beak is extremely sore. If bleeding can not be stopped, you must go to your vet so they can cauterized the tip to stop the bleeding. Soft foods such as handfeeding formula or baby foods can be offered. Do not offer baby foods with meat, only fruits and veggies. Squash, sweet potato, and applesauce are favorites here. A syringe is always welcomed in this situation.

Large parrots can completely replace their maxilla in 6 months. It has been noted that the mandible grows 2-3 times faster than the maxilla.

The beak also has two holes called nares which connect to the hollow inner beak and thence to the respiratory system. The nares are usually located directly above the beak. In our greys, they are located in a fleshy structure at the base of the beak called the cere.

A normally shaped beak does not usually need to be trimmed. It is worn down by the bird's daily activities. In the wild, they would chew on wood to keep their beaks in shape thus the reason wooden toys should always be provided to all birds.

If the beak does get overgrown it is best to have it dealt with by the vet because they also have a blood supply, and they need careful shaping if they are going to be trimmed. Your vet will also asses the reason behind the overgrown beak as mentioned above.