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Published online 8 April 2004 | Nature | doi:10.1038/news040405-5

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Birds catch flies with bendy beaks

Big mouths get hummingbirds an in-flight meal.

HelenR. Pilcher

Hummingbirdshave bendy lower beaks to help them catch insects, research reveals. The flexibility allows long-beaked birds to open their mouths wide enough to hunt on the wing.

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