UC Berkeley (Video)

Hummingbirds' Bills Can Do More Than Sip Nectar


Listen Later

Most hummingbirds have bills and tongues exquisitely designed to slip inside a flower, lap up nectar and squeeze every last drop of precious sugar water from their tongue to fuel their frenetic lifestyle. But in the tropics of South America, University of California, Berkeley, scientists are finding that some male hummers have traded efficient feeding for bills that are better at stabbing and plucking other hummingbirds as they fend off rivals for food and mates. The males weaponized bills are good not only for pulling feathers and pinching skin, but also wrestling their rivals away from prime feeding spots. Series: "UC Berkeley News" [Science] [Show ID: 34479]
...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

UC Berkeley (Video)By UCTV


More shows like UC Berkeley (Video)

View all
Evolution by UCTV

Evolution

11 Listeners

Autism (Audio) by UCTV

Autism (Audio)

15 Listeners

Autism (Video) by UCTV

Autism (Video)

14 Listeners

Black History (Audio) by UCTV

Black History (Audio)

16 Listeners

Osher WISE: Well-being and Integrative Science for Everyone (Video) by UCTV

Osher WISE: Well-being and Integrative Science for Everyone (Video)

14 Listeners

Robert Reich by UCTV

Robert Reich

37 Listeners

CARTA - Anthropogeny (Audio) by UCTV

CARTA - Anthropogeny (Audio)

7 Listeners

Mental Health and Psychiatry (Audio) by UCTV

Mental Health and Psychiatry (Audio)

60 Listeners

Aging and Senior Health (Audio) by UCTV

Aging and Senior Health (Audio)

19 Listeners

Stem Cell Channel (Video) by UCTV

Stem Cell Channel (Video)

2 Listeners