#snipe – @biomedicalephemera on Tumblr

Things you probably have never thought about:

Comparative anatomy of bird tongues. We all learn about the different beaks of birds relating to the foods they eat as kids, but the tongue can play almost as much of a role in determining a birds diet as the beak does. The stumpy, near-nonexistent tongue of a kingfisher doesn’t impede catching and swallowing fish whole. The long and agile tongue of a hummingbird is a tube that ends in two curled troughs to sip nectar. The spear-like tongue of a woodpecker is perfect for snagging insects in tree bark, and the well-padded tongues of seed-eaters allow them to manipulate seed hulls without getting hurt.

Tongues from On the Anatomy of Vertebrates: Vol II - Birds and Mammals. Richard Owen, 1866.

#reblog #comparative anatomy #birds #goose #snipe #kingfisher #richard owen

biomedicalephemera

1. Golden-plover (Charadrius pluvialis) 2. Lapwing (Vanellus vulgaris) 3. Black-winged stilt (Himantopus candidus) 4. Ringed plover (Aegialitis hiaticula) 5. Kentish plover (Aegilitis alexandrina) 6. Pratincole (Glareola pratincola) 7. Curlew (Numenius arquata) 8. Woodcock (Scolopax rusticola) 9. Jack-snipe (Gallinago gallinula) 10. Solitary snipe (Gallinago major)

A Book of Birds. W.P. Pycraft, 1908.

#natural history #birds #curlew #plover #golden plover #lapwing #black-winged stilt #ringed plover #Kentish Plover #pratincole #snipe #woodcock #jack-snipe #solitary snipe #1900s #1908 #W. P. Pycraft

biomedicalephemera

Things you probably have never thought about:

Comparative anatomy of bird tongues. We all learn about the different beaks of birds relating to the foods they eat as kids, but the tongue can play almost as much of a role in determining a birds diet as the beak does. The stumpy, near-nonexistent tongue of a kingfisher doesn't impede catching and swallowing fish whole. The long and agile tongue of a hummingbird is a tube that ends in two curled troughs to sip nectar. The spear-like tongue of a woodpecker is perfect for snagging insects in tree bark, and the well-padded tongues of seed-eaters allow them to manipulate seed hulls without getting hurt.

Tongues from On the Anatomy of Vertebrates: Vol II - Birds and Mammals. Richard Owen, 1866.

#comparative anatomy #zoology #birds #tongue #evolution #owen #natural history #toucan #goose #snipe #richard owen #1800s #1866