Sir, the depiction of a Harris Hawk on the front cover of the British Dental Journal (Vol. 213 No. 4) has the caption 'Birds have no teeth'. This statement should be corrected to 'The genes expressing teeth are quiescent in birds' since it is possible to experimentally induce teeth in chicks.1 The expression 'Rare as hens' teeth' is justified by the rarity of their appearance.2