Natural History Wanderings

Hummingbirds Use Tongues to Trap Liquid Not To Act Like Straw

It has long been assumed that hummingbirds take in nectar through capillary tubes that work like a straw.  New research shows this to be false.  Hummingbirds drink by trapping nectar in their tongues that change shape to tranport the nectar into its mouth.  To learn more go to:
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences  The hummingbird tongue is a fluid trap, not a capillary tube
NY Times A Hard-Working Tongue Tool Helps Hummingbirds Drink