Functional trade-offs impose important constraints on the biomechanics of musculo-skeletal systems. In songbirds, for example, a force-velocity trade-off has been described in singing, showing that hard-biting birds sing at lower syllable rates. However, we do not yet know whether and how this also affects their feeding kinematics. Many songbirds are granivorous, i.e., rely on seeds as their major food source. Thus, we analysed seed processing in two granivorous species, canaries (bite force ≈3 N) and Java finches (bite force ≈10 N), using X-ray Reconstruction of Moving Morphology (XROMM). We show that canaries move their beaks at a ≈23% higher angular velocity and at a ≈31% higher frequency compared to Java finches. Furthermore, canaries use a wider range of motion in both the upper and lower beak during seed processing. Last, we show that these differences in beak biomechanics are also associated with differences in seed processing strategies in the tested species: Java finches crack the seeds more easily than canaries, but they often crush the inner kernel and consequently drop parts of it. Canaries, however, are able to remove the shell without crushing the seed and swallow the kernel in whole. This suggests that a force-accuracy trade-off might be at play in the beak's fine motor control. Our results indicate that a combination of trade-offs (force-velocity, force-frequency, and force-accuracy) has an impact on the feeding biomechanics of granivorous songbirds and hence may play an important role in the adaptation to specific seed types.