Question

Finches eat grit and small stones to ________.

1) grind their food
2) attract mates
3) build nests
4) protect themselves

Answer 1

Finches swallow grit and small stones to help grind their food in the gizzard, a part of their digestive system that compensates for the lack of teeth.

Step-by-step explanation:

Finches eat grit and small stones to grind their food. This is because birds have a unique part of their digestive system known as the gizzard, which plays a crucial role in food digestion. Unlike mammals, birds do not have teeth to chew their food, so the gizzard, aided by swallowed stones, helps to mechanically break down food so that nutrients can be more easily absorbed. Specifically, grain-eating birds have a highly developed gizzard, often containing a significant amount of grit to assist in grinding up hard food items like seeds.