Do Birds Have Tongues? (6 Types + How They Are Used)

When considering the anatomical features that all birds share, the obvious answer is feathers, wings and beaks. But what about dialects? Do all birds have tongues? If so, do all bird tongues look the same or have the same function?

Read on as we investigate whether all birds have tongues and what a bird’s tongue is used for.

All birds have tongues. From the woodpecker’s incredibly long, retractable tongue (used to catch bugs from holes deep in tree trunks) to the small, almost redundant tongues of flightless birds such as emus, ostriches, and cassowaries Tongue.

Bird tongues come in all shapes and sizes, as well as different surface textures, all of which are tuned to meet specific foraging, eating, drinking and (in some cases) communication needs.

Tongues are smooth but cockatoos have a muscular tongue that helps them eat seeds and communicate.

To learn how bird tongues work and how different types of birds use them to forage, eat and drink, read on as we learn about the mechanisms behind an often overlooked anatomical feature inside a bird’s beak.

Woodpeckers have long, sticky tongues that help them catch insects from hard-to-reach places

different types of bird tongues

Birds adapt their tongues to different purposes and to a range of environments and diets. Below are some of the more common tongue types.

• Grooved Tongue: Vultures and eagles have a groove in the center of their tongues that allows them to suck marrow from the inner bones of the carcasses they eat. Because they have limited opportunities to eat, they keep large amounts of food in their crops (storage organs in their throats). Grooves on their tongues allow them to quickly push food into the crop through their beaks.
• Muscle Tongue: A parrot’s tongue is soft and has keratin at the end. It automatically transforms into a spoon to grab seeds and grains and keep them securely in your mouth. Muscles on a parrot’s tongue also play a key role in the birds’ ability to mimic human speech.
• Sticky Tongue: The tip of woodpecker tongues is coated with a sticky substance that helps them catch insects from the deep holes drilled in tree trunks and branches.
• Piston tongue: These straw-like tongues allow birds to draw water into their beaks without tilting their heads back. Birds with piston tongues include pigeons and flamingos.
• Nectarine Tongue: Hummingbirds have long, tubular tongues that allow them to suck nectar from deep within flowers and bird feeders. The nectarine tongues of some birds have tiny brush-like protrusions near the tip, designed to quickly suck fluid from the flowers they eat.
• Tongue nail: This is not a particular tongue, but a common feature of the tongues of some birds, including ducks, quail, chickens, geese and parrots. The hardened tip at the end of the tongue can expand and contract, allowing them to pick up and hold grains and seeds without dropping them.

Eagle grooved tongue (bald eagle)

parrots have muscular tongues

Which birds don’t have tongues?

All birds have tongues; however, the tongues of some birds do not seem to serve any major purpose and appear to be redundant. Large flightless birds, such as emus and ostriches, have small, triangular tongues that don’t even reach the edge of their beaks.

What do birds do with their tongues?

Birds’ tongues play an important role in how they forage and how the food is subsequently digested. The tongue serves a variety of purposes, from drinking water, sucking nectar or bone marrow, scooping out grain, or trapping insects.

Many piscivorous birds, including several species of ducks, eat by filtering dirt out of the water, and their tongues play a key role in this process, filtering out unwanted dirt and water by pressing down on the tongue , while keeping food underneath.

Parrots imitate human speech with their tongues. Flexible muscles on their tongues contract to make various sounds.

Open your mouth and call mallard

What are the characteristics of a bird’s tongue?

The fine hairs on the birds’ tongues, called papillae, grow around protein-digesting enzymes that help trap food particles and then grind them up during digestion. Some birds, including penguins and geese, have a papillae on the back of their tongues to facilitate swallowing.

Some birds, including penguins, geese, and red-breasted mergansers, have serrated or barbed edges on their tongues; to the untrained eye, these barbs may resemble teeth but are actually keratin tips Spines, which allow birds to hold onto food, such as fish, firmly.

Birds have salivary glands in their beaks, located at the base of their tongues, that moisten food to aid swallowing and produce mucus that helps keep bacteria from growing.

Red-breasted mergansers have specialized tongues that allow them to grab fish

Which birds have the longest tongues?

The bird with the longest tongue on record is the Northern Flicker, a North American woodpecker that forages for ants on the ground. Its tongue protrudes up to 10 cm (4 in) from the tip of its beak, then retracts to wrap around the inside of the skull.

Long tongues are a common feature of woodpeckers, and longer tongues may exist in other species, which scientists have yet to measure.

Northern Flickers have extra long tongues

Do birds have taste buds?

Research has shown that birds do have taste buds that can distinguish between sweet and savory foods, as well as salty, sugary, fatty and bitter foods. Unlike mammals, where taste buds are located on different parts of the tongue, birds have taste buds located primarily on the roof or bottom of the mouth. Some taste receptors are also present on the base of the bird’s tongue.

While humans have as many as 10,000 taste buds, birds have far fewer—between 24 (chickens) and about 400 (parrots).

Do birds sing with their tongues?

The anatomy of a bird’s mouth and throat includes a complex system of organs that work together to produce calls and calls. Bird songs are produced by an organ called the syrinx located at the bottom of the trachea. The tongue and larynx do play a role in the vocal system of birds and are used to modify the sounds produced by the syrinx.

Tongue clicking is a common behavior in parrots, cockatiels, and cockatoos, and is generally considered to indicate friendly social interaction.

Female eastern bluebird with open beak and visible tongue

Do birds lick their beaks?

Many birds’ tongues are not long enough to stick out of their beaks, even if they wanted to use them that way. Although birds don’t usually lick the outside of their beaks, they may use their tongues to clean the inside of their mouths.

Instead of cleaning the outside of the beak with the tongue, birds such as parrots can be observed rubbing or wiping the beak against branches, leaves or the ground to remove excess food.

Bird Tongue FAQs

Do parrots have tongues?

A parrot’s tongue has a hard but flexible tip made of keratin called the tongue.This allows them to scoop up seeds and grains with their tongue like a spoon

Do crows have tongues?

All birds have tongues, and crows are no exception. A key way crows use their tongues to transport food to their chicks is by placing the food they collect under their tongues while carrying them back to their chicks.

Do sparrows have tongues?

Sparrows do have small tongues. They are pink and fleshy without any grooves or barbs.

Yawning pigeon showing tongue

Do pigeons have tongues?

Pigeons have “piston” tongues that work like straws. This allows them to drink without tilting their head back.

Do birds have teeth?

Birds don’t have teeth, but they may have ridges on the edges of their beaks or tongues, allowing them to grab food while foraging. They don’t need teeth to chew because they swallow their food whole. The food is ground up in the gizzard, a part of the bird’s stomach that plays an important role in the digestive system.