A new research has found that correct way as to how hummingbird tongue works. Earlier, it was considered that hummingbirds used capillary action to have nectar from flowers. But the study has found that their tongue works as mechanical pumps.

Study researchers Alejandro Rico Guevara and Margaret Rubega from the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Tai-Hsi Fan from the School of Engineering said that fluid is actually drawn into the tongue by the elastic expansion of the tongue grooves after they are squeezed flat by the beak.

When the nectar goes inside the bill, the hummingbirds compress their tongues upon extrusion. Till the time, the compressed tongue contacts the nectar surface it remains flattened and then it reshapes and gets filled with nectar.

"Our research shows how hummingbirds really drink and provides the first mathematical tools to accurately model their energy intake, which in turn informs our understanding of their foraging decisions and ecology", said Rico-Guevara.

Study researchers said that the birds can suck out 10 drops out of a flower after every 15 milliseconds. The researchers came to know about the real phenomenon by capturing video footage of 18 species of hummingbirds while they drank from artificial flowers.

The latest conclusion is the result of five years of research. The study is said to have collected the largest data set of any hummingbird study till date.