...Maria A. A. van der Meij; Ron G. Bout SUMMARY In finches husking time is non-linearly related to the ratio of seed hardness to maximal bite force. Fringillids produce larger bite force and husk relatively hard seeds faster than estrildids of similar size. This is at least partly explained...

..., which results in relatively high muscle and bite forces. Comparison with the scarce data available for other trophic groups suggests that the scaling of jaw muscle size depends on diet and that jaw muscle size in finches is an adaptation to their feeding behaviour. A comparison with other groups...