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Watch a woodpecker defend itself with its long sticky tongue [1]

['Rusty Blazenhoff']

Date: 2023-05-30

Woodpeckers have especially long and narrow tongues. They normally use them to get deep into trees to grab a tasty bug or grub, or get a mouthful of sap. But, in this clip, you'll see one use it to defend itself from another bird. Filmed from behind a window, this provides a rare, up-close look at just how impressive that tongue really is.

Alas, despite the valiant effort, the other bird doesn't seem to be deterred. "A" for effort, feathered friend. (Reddit)

And since we're on the topic of woodpecker tongues, let's look at the remarkable way they work. Their tongues are so long that they literally wrap around their brains. This isn't some random quirk of nature, but a brilliant biological adaptation.

American Bird Conservancy:

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