Do beaks grow back?

[nickinthegarden]

I was in Maclure Park this morning and I spotted a couple Steller's Jays. I was still dull and it was kind of distant but I shot a few images. While processing them I noted that one bird had a much shorter upper bill than I would expect. Did it break or was it a birth defect? I have no idea. It almost appears it is growing back, can this happen? Are bills like finger nails?


Poor Steller's Jay by Nick, on Flickr

[merlinator]

Nick, minor injuries will repair themselves, but major fractures like the one shown will not grow back.

[Ben]

There's an interesting article here:
corvidresearch.blog/2016/02/08/crows-with-broken-bills/

No real answers, but still informative. It seems the majority of the bill is actually bone, which is unlikely to grow back. The outside layer is keratin, which is the same as what our fingernails are made of - this part does grow back.