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Birds' tongues

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Subject: Birds' tongues
From: Brian Fleming <>
Date: Tue, 13 Feb 2001 16:38:23 +1100
I once observed a captive Eastern Curlew in the Taronga Park Zoo,
Sydney. It was eating what appeared to be tinned dogfood from a plate.As
it did not have its beak down in mud, I could see what went on. It took
a lump in the tip of its beak and pulled the food about halfway up its
beak. I assume this was done with the tongue - perhaps there are small
backward pointing barbs on the tongue. There was a brief pause while the
tongue slid forward under the food - this tongue-action was visible. The
food was slid up again and the process repeated - three lifts in all
were required to get the lump to swallowing point. I assume there must
also be backward-pointing barbs inside the top of the beak as well. 
This process was quite rapid and I saw it repeated several times. I had
always wondered how the bird got something like a shrimp or crab up the
very long beak.
Anthea Fleming in Melbourne
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