Do robins have tongues? I never thought much about this question until I looked at the shots I took this past weekend of American Robins (Turdus migratorius) at Huntley Meadows Park in Northern Virginia.
As a child, I was told that robins were a harbinger of spring and that may have been the case in Massachusetts. Clearly that is not the case where I live now, for an entire flock of robins was present in the park in what I would still consider the middle of winter.
Some of the robins were pecking about on the ground, but many of them were drawn to some kind of vegetation that had bluish-colored berries. I usually think of robins eating worms, so it was fascinating to watch them pick and swallow berries, acting much like Cedar Waxwings.
When reviewing my photos, I saw what appeared to be a tongue in some of my images, so I did a little research. It turns out that robins do have tongues that they use to help them swallow fruit. In fact, different birds use their tongues for a wide variety of purposes, as Laura Erickson illustrates wonderfully in a blog posting entitled “More about Bird Tongues than a Normal Person Would Want to Know.”
In the first image below, the robin has just grabbed the berry and is starting to pull it in. In the second image, the tongue is more clearly visible and the process has moved along a bit. I hoped to get a shot of the final step in swallowing the berry, but the robin turned its head to the side at that moment.
Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
I was well past sixty before I learned that childhood jokes about hummingbird-tongue soup had a basis in reality. What a great capture — and how I envy you your robins. It’s been two years or so since I’ve seen any — they only pass through our area, but I grew up with them, and their song is the sound of spring.
I’d love to be able to send you some robins–we have lots of them at the moment. Isn’t it cool learning new things? I think it keeps us eternally young (and I am on the same side of sixty as you are).
That is a question I’ve never asked, but now that you raise it I find it pretty intriguing, and of course appreciate the answer…I’ve replanted most of my garden and landscape so there are berries and seeds available for the birds, I really enjoy watching them feed on those berries all winter.
I’m endlessly curious about lots of things, Charlie, and fascinated by the things that I see and manage to photograph. I like your approach of using plants that will provide food for birds. I have a friend that uses specific plants to try to attract butterflies.
Cool! As we know, it’s all about timing.
Thanks, kenne.
Nice pictures, and sequence, and interesting about the tounge. M 🙂
Thanks.
Flocks of robins seem to stay here all winter now too and the cold doesn’t seem to bother them.
The berries might have been Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) but I’m not positive.
Thanks for the potential identification, Allen. I’ll take a closer look at the plant and see if I can see leaves or other identifying features.
Fantastic capture! I’ve only ever thought of bird tongues in the context of ancient world recipes.
And then there is the amazing tongues of woodpeckers that are so long they wrap halfway around their skulls. Great post and photos, Mike.