A mile-long hummingbird's tongue!

[Cobras]

I have been taking pictures of hummers in my backyard with D90 and 18-200 VR lens. Once in a while, I captured hummers with their tongue. As seen pictures (a) and (b), the length of the hummmer's tongue at or around the feeders in my pictures are rather short.

(a) Broad-tailed hummingbird



(b) Black-chinned hummingbird



(c) Broad-tailed hummingbird

Yesterday afternoon, I was practicing to take pictures of hummers who are sitting on a telephone line. Surprisingly, this guy is stretching his tongue far out. I have never seen such a long tongue. Have you? I wonder this guy is teasing other hummers flying around the nearby feeder or not.

Thank you for looking.

 

[tmascolo]

Hello Cobras,

Hope you are well.

Nice captures.

A hummingbirds tongue is generally 1.5 times the length of its beak. Appears you got most of this little guys tongue out in the open.

--
Later,

Tony

 

[ersouza]

The hummingbird tongue wraps under the jaw and behind the back of the head, so there's even more there than what you're seeing.

Now you Know(tm)

 

[Cobras]

Hello Cobras,

Hope you are well.

Nice captures.

A hummingbirds tongue is generally 1.5 times the length of its beak. Appears you got most of this little guys tongue out in the open.

--
Later,

Tony

Tony, Thanks for your kind words. As the weather is getting cooler here, most of hummers in our backyard headed to the south already. According to my records, hummers were almost completely gone around Labor Day. I saw one or two around that time. But I see quite a number of hummers still this year/today. This morning before I left for work (around 7 am; temperature is around 60-65), I saw 3-4 hummers around our feeders. That is a little unusual. I wonder whether this has to do with the Global Warming as our beloved God, Al Gore preaches. I hope that hummer's sensor was not tricked by him or his disciples. Take care.

 

[Cobras]

The hummingbird tongue wraps under the jaw and behind the back of the head, so there's even more there than what you're seeing.

That's new to me and I am learning it from you. I posted the picture because nobody has ever posted that long tongue iin the Internet, to my knowledge. If you could find a picture(s) of a longer tongue, please post it. Thanks again.