What are those "whisker" looking things on some birds' faces?

The birds most commonly found on children's books are macaws, usually the blue and gold or the scarlet macaw.

In all macaws and some other birds, there is a bare patch of skin near their beaks. I assume that is what you are talking about. The "whiskers" are actually tiny black feathers. Other birds with bare skin like these may not seem to have these feathers, but they are usually colored a pale pink or white.