Flex That Bill: Hummingbirds’ surprising insect-catching style

High-speed videos of hummingbirds catching fruit flies show that the birds’ lower bills are unexpectedly flexible, say researchers.

BENT FOR BUGS. To catch a fruit fly, a ruby-throated hummingbird (left to right) opens its bill and then widens its gape and adds extra downward slant to the lower jaw. Yanega

In three species with straight, narrow bills, the lower half can bend downward part way along its length, even though it has no joint, says Gregor M.