 Hummingbirds drink with their long tongues by rapidly lapping nectar.Their tongues have tubes which run down their lengths and help the hummingbirds drink the nectar.While capillary action was believed to be what drew nectar into these tubes, high-speed photography has revealed that the tubes open down their sides as the tongue goes into the nectar, and then close around the nectar, trapping it so it can be pulled back into the beak.