Hummingbird bills -- their long, thin beaks -- look a little like drinking straws. But new research shows just how little water, or nectar, that comparison holds. Scientists have discovered that the ...

The development of the proboscis, a coiled straw-like mouthpart that can suck up nectar and other fluids, helped boost the diversity of Lepidoptera. Here, a tiger longwing, Heliconius hecale, drinks ...

When you watch hummingbirds at a nectar feeder, it might appear as though these tiny birds are using their long bills as a straw. But the mechanism is very different. Hummingbirds trap nectar from ...

Does a hummingbird suck nectar out a flower using it's tongue like a straw? That's not what scientists say. There's been a hummingbird hanging around my house recently, taking advantage of the hanging ...

When a butterfly emerges from its chrysalis, one of the first things it must do is assemble its mouthparts. Butterflies, and most nectar-feeding insects, use a long tube called a proboscis to feed.

Hummingbird bills — their long, thin beaks — look a little like drinking straws. The frenetic speed at which they get nectar out of flowers and backyard feeders may give the impression that the bills ...