Bailey wakes up bright and early every morning. She is very hungry!

Bailey is an Eastern Bluebird. Bluebirds are part of the order Passeriforme (or passerine), which is a classification of birds with toes that allow them to perch.

Bailey, like all Passeriformes, is a very active bird who needs lots of nutrients every day. Being a discontinuous feeder means she doesn't have to eat constantly, but she must eat often to keep her body in tip-top shape.

Bailey sets off in search of something to eat. Bailey is an insectivore, meaning she loves to gulp down crunchy insects for meals. Not all Passeriformes prefer insects, though. Many are granivorous, eating nuts and seeds, while a few others are fluid feeders and sip nectar from flowers.

Still others, like Bailey's friend Charlie Crow, are omnivores that eat a wide variety of foods depending on what they can find. Charlie will eat nearly anything: seeds, fruit, small animals and fish, carrion, and even garbage!

Some insectivores also like to eat earthworms as well as insects. Roger Robin offers Bailey one as she flies by, but Bailey refuses--they're too slimy!

A Passiformes' body is well equipped to consume its food. Their digestion takes place outside of their individual cells--called extracellular--in a complete digestive system. A complete system means that food starts up at the bird's mouth, and then travels through its body to its anus.

A Passeriformes uses its beak to pick up tasty tidbits and swallow them with help from its tongue and pharynx. The area that includes the mouth, tongue, and salivary glands is called the buccal cavity.

The food travels down the esophagus and into the crop, where it is stored until it can be digested. This is a handy adaption that allows birds to eat more, faster so they can avoid predators. 

After the crop comes the two part stomach. The first part, the proventriculus, contains acids for breaking down food, while the second part, the gizzard, grinds up what's left. The gall bladder and liver help by breaking down fats and removing toxins from the food respectively.