Red-bellied Woodpecker's Tongue

On the day that the crowd of robins visited, a parade of other birds joined them in the dogwood tree. Among them, this Red-bellied Woodpecker male. It's always a treat when he visits the dogwood tree, and this time was no exception. He flew into the dogwood limbs, hung upside down to pluck a berry, then flew to a nearby trunk to reposition it before swallowing.

 

 Red-bellied Woodpecker male

 

 Red-bellied Woodpecker's Tongue

 Red-bellied Woodpecker's Tongue 1 

 Red-bellied Woodpecker's Tongue 2

It was this that surprised me. He used the trunk's surface toreposition the berry, so that he then held it at the tip of hisbill.With his long tongue extended, he used it in a lever-like fashionto move the berry into swallowing position.Once the berry was gone, hescooted around the tree to forage some more. But then, paused, lookedback at another dogwood berry, hung upside down and stretched histongue out to pick up something from its surface.A fun and intimateencounter. I hated to see him fly away. The good news--he's my neighbor!

 Red-bellied Woodpecker