Abstract
We report the discovery of a previously undescribed feeding mechanism in an avian planktivore, the Red-necked Phalarope (Phalaropus lobatus). We employed high- speed video to elucidate the kinematics of prey transport, and to test hypotheses generated by a model describing prey transport as a function of surface tension. Prey items are trans- ported individually from the tip of the beak to the mouth by forces resulting from the surface tension of water surrounding prey. Experiments conducted with the beak of a dead bird demonstrate that surface tension is sufficient to explain prey transport in Red-necked Phal- aropes without the use of suction or tongue motions. This feeding mechanism may be wide- spread among the shorebirds and represents a potential intermediate step in the evolution
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