Coordinated beak–tongue mechanics enable dexterous seed manipulation in songbirds
Abstract
Dexterous manipulation of objects relies on precise coordination between anatomical elements. In seed-eating birds, seeds are manipulated and dehusked using both the beak and tongue, but the functional roles and coordination of these structures remain unresolved. Here, we quantified the 3D movements of the upper beak, lower beak, tongue, and seed in a hard-biting and a weak-biting songbird species using X-ray Reconstruction of Moving Morphology (XROMM) and measured contractile properties of their primary jaw muscles. We show that the tongue serves as the main tool for seed rotation, transport, and stabilization. Multi-dimensional, high-frequency movements of the upper and lower beaks reveal that efficient seed processing depends on high mobility of the kinetic avian skull. Strong and weak biters differ in feeding kinematics and jaw muscle speeds, suggesting ecological specialization of cranial mechanics. The complexity, precision, and tight coordination of beak and tongue motions show that the avian cranium rivals the dexterity of the primate hand despite limited degrees of freedom.
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BibTeX
@article{mielke2026coordinated,
title = {{Coordinated beak–tongue mechanics enable dexterous seed manipulation in songbirds}},
author = {Maja Mielke and Falk Mielke and Nicholas Gladman and Dan Tatulescu and Anthony Herrel and Coen Ph Elemans and Sam van Wassenbergh},
journal = {The Anatomical Record: Advances in Integrative Anatomy and Evolutionary Biology},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.7554/elife.111607.1},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05763652v1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Coordinated beak–tongue mechanics enable dexterous seed manipulation in songbirds
AU - Maja Mielke
AU - Falk Mielke
AU - Nicholas Gladman
AU - Dan Tatulescu
AU - Anthony Herrel
AU - Coen Ph Elemans
AU - Sam van Wassenbergh
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/06
JO - The Anatomical Record: Advances in Integrative Anatomy and Evolutionary Biology
DO - 10.7554/elife.111607.1
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05763652v1
AB - Dexterous manipulation of objects relies on precise coordination between anatomical elements. In seed-eating birds, seeds are manipulated and dehusked using both the beak and tongue, but the functional roles and coordination of these structures remain unresolved. Here, we quantified the 3D movements of the upper beak, lower beak, tongue, and seed in a hard-biting and a weak-biting songbird species using X-ray Reconstruction of Moving Morphology (XROMM) and measured contractile properties of their primary jaw muscles. We show that the tongue serves as the main tool for seed rotation, transport, and stabilization. Multi-dimensional, high-frequency movements of the upper and lower beaks reveal that efficient seed processing depends on high mobility of the kinetic avian skull. Strong and weak biters differ in feeding kinematics and jaw muscle speeds, suggesting ecological specialization of cranial mechanics. The complexity, precision, and tight coordination of beak and tongue motions show that the avian cranium rivals the dexterity of the primate hand despite limited degrees of freedom.
SN - 1932-8486
SN - 1932-8494
ER -