Divergent nectar-feeding mechanisms evidenced by intralingual suction in sunbirds

2026/03/27 by David Cuban, Cynthia Y. Wang-Claypool, Yohanna Yohanna +5 · 1 voice
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Agricultural and Biological Sciences · #Animal Vocal Communication and Behavior #Animal Behavior and Reproduction #Plant and animal studies

paper · doi:10.1016/j.cub.2026.02.067

Citations

• Bene“fit” Assessment in Pollination Coevolution: Mechanistic Perspectives on Hummingbird Bill–Flower Matching

Discussions

• Sunbirds don’t drink nectar like hummingbirds. They use intralingual suction: the tongue acts like a straw, moving nectar via pressure differences rather than capillarity. A clear case of biomechani [bsky, 129 points, 1 comments]