Jewel-Toned Hummingbirds Spar with Their Beaks as Weapons (VIDEO)

Jewel-toned hummingbirds that delicately sip nectar from flowers may not be as peaceful as you might think. These bright birds don't just use their beaks to feed; they also use them while fight to stab at their opponents' throats.

"Historically, bird beaks have been the prime example of adaptation through natural selection, such as in the textbook example of Darwin's finches," said Alejandro Rico-Guevara, lead researcher of the new study, in an interview with UConn. "But we show here the first evidence that bills are also being shaped by sexual selection through male-male combat. It is exciting to think of all these forces working on the way animals look, and to think about how they might affect males and females differently."

During the course of the study, the scientists examined the long-billed hermit, which is a hummingbird that can be found in Costa Rica. Colored in dark green and blue-green, this bird feeds on large flowers, such as passion flowers, and small insects and spiders. More interestingly, during breeding season the males of this species aggressively defend territory, where they mate with females. In fact, when another male enters a claimed territory, the two males will fight with each other using their beaks.

In fact, the scientists witnessed these brightly-colored birds stabbing at one another's throats using their slightly-sharpened bills. Males with longer, pointier bills were more likely to win these battles and therefore defend the best territories. In other words, the researchers were witnessing natural selection in action.

"I think people initially think of them as beautiful, delicate creatures," said Rico-Guevara. "But I enjoy revealing their pugnacious attitudes.

It turns out that hummingbirds aren't nearly as harmless as they may seem-at least not when it comes to defending their territories.

The findings were published in the journal Behavioral Ecology.

Want to see the birds in action? Check out the video below, courtesy of YouTube.