From Science Magazine.

Butterflies suck—nectar. Walruses suck—clams. And most fishes suck everything they eat. But birds? Scientists had only seen a few examples, such as in pigeons, of drinking by suction.

Now, researchers report that sunbirds use suction from their tongue to sip nectar. The find is the first example of any vertebrate drinking through suction generated by the tongue alone, rather than by changing the shape of its mouth. Erik Stokstad, a reporter at Science, explains.

Learn more: https://scim.ag/4f0z6Fi

CREDITS: (FOOTAGE) POND5/BLACKBOXGUILD; CUBAN ET AL./CURRENT BIOLOGY; (FIGURE) CUBAN ET AL./CURRENT BIOLOGY; (PHOTO) NICK GARBUTT/NPL/MINDEN; (VIDEO PRODUCTION) K. MCLEAN/SCIENCE

#Birds #Science #ScienceShorts