I was totally weirded out one day while watching a flicker sitting on a fence. Its tongue was out and I thought it must have hold of a huge worm but no, it was its tongue. They go on the grass in the right season to listen for grubs moving underground. When they locate one they can stick the beak, then tongue, in the hole and reach the grub. I have seen them with a grub in the beak on the lawn. Probably useful for probing tree holes for grubs too.
Top row middle pic has the best image though the one I saw had an even longer tongue.
https://www.bing.com/images/search?q...B8980F7DBF8B0B