RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD TONGUE: IT’S NOT A STRAW

Female Ruby-throated Hummingbird Close Up Of Tongue Trapping Sugar Water

Ruby-throated Hummingbirds’ tongues are not simple straws. They are shapeshifting, liquid trapping and transport, nectar pumping devices. The tongue’s tip is forked and can spread and close. There are two grooves in each tip that expand when the tips are open and flattened. The grooves compress and create tube-like structures when the tongue is retracted […]

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