Hummingbird beaks are built to feed on flowers, but hummingbirds can't live on nectar alone. To get enough protein and nutrients they need to eat small insects too- 300 a day!
But how can a long, slender bill which is so well suited for sipping nectar (just the right length and shape) also be good at catching insects, and often in mid-air?
In 2004 in the journal Nature, it was reported that part of the answer lies in the hummingbird's flexible bill. Using high speed video of three hummingbird species catching fruit flies, researchers found that the hummingbird's bendy lower beak flexes by as much as 25 degrees when it opens, while also widening at the base to create a larger surface for catching insects.
It was discovered that as soon as the hummingbird's beak is maximally bent, it suddenly springs back to its original position and snaps closed.
Their beaks snap shut in less than a hundredth of a second!
And we are supposed to believe this bird evolved this way? Absolutely not! The beak has been clearly designed for the purpose it was given by our Almighty Creator!
