Sharpbill: Oxyruncidae

Sharpbills eat mainly fruit, insects, and insect eggs. They get their name from their pointed bill that allows them to hunt for food using what is called "pry and gape" behavior. When a sharpbill is feeding, it often hangs upside down on a branch and uses its pointed bill to pry into fruit, tightly rolled leaves, or moss growing on the tree. It then forces its bill apart (gapes) and collects seeds or insects from inside the fruit, leaves, or moss. This type of feeding behavior is uncommon. It is an example of a physical trait, the bill, and a behavioral trait, the feeding technique, evolving, changing over time, together to give the bird an advantage over competing species.