Nectar is a sugary liquid made by the flowers of plants. Experts already knew the Hummingbird's tongue was involved, but this research also shows the important role the bill has to play.

The forked tongue of this Anna’s hummingbird can be seen through the glass vessel from which it’s drinking artificial nectar. To fuel their energetic flight, hummingbirds may consume more than ...

The team discovered that a drinking hummingbird rapidly opens and shuts different parts of its bill simultaneously, engaging in an intricate and highly coordinated dance with its tongue to draw up ...

"But now we know that the bill plays this very active and essential role in drawing up nectar that the tongue collects." The bill's role also makes hummingbirds unique among animals by relying on ...