Hummingbirds are beautiful, fascinating, engineering marvels. Here are some interesting facts about hummingbird classification, natural history, anatomy, and metabolism.
Each spring in many parts of North America, as the snow melts and the days get longer, we eagerly await the return of hummingbirds. Hummingbird feeders are retrieved from storage, washed, and filled with nectar. We hang them outside in a strategic location and then we watch and wait.
There are about 330 different species of hummingbirds. Most of them live and remain in Central and South America, never venturing any further north – only 16 species breed in North America. Here are more interesting facts about hummingbirds:
Hummingbirds occur only in the Americas.
Scientists divide the hummingbirds up into two subfamilies: typical hummingbirds and hermit hummingbirds. They are thought to be closely related to swifts.
The smallest hummingbird, the Bee Hummingbird, weighs a little under two grams. The largest, the Giant Hummingbird, weighs 21 to 23 grams.
Hummingbirds eat plant nectar, plant pollen, and insects – but their diet is 90 percent nectar.
Like bees, hummingbirds carry pollen from one plant to another while they are feeding, thus playing an important role in plant pollination. Each bird visits between one and two thousand blossoms each day.
Hummingbirds can see ultraviolet light, which may enable them to identify certain varieties of plant.
Though we generally see them in flight, hummingbirds perch for most of their lives.
On average, hummingbird wings beat about 80 times each second, but in some species 200 beats a second has been documented.
A hummingbird breathes 300 to 500 times each minute while active.
The hummingbird heart is about 20 percent of the bird’s body volume. It beats about 500 times a minute. Heartbeats vary between different species and during different activities, and range from 30 to 1200 beats a minute.
Hummingbirds sometimes enter a state of torpor, usually during the night when they are not feeding. In torpor, metabolism slows down saving up to 60 percent of the bird’s available energy.
After feeding and doubling its weight,, the Ruby-throated Hummingbird flies nonstop across the Gulf of Mexico during migration. The flight takes about 20 hours.
Klesius, Michael. “Flight of Fancy.” National Geographic. Jan 2007, p. 114-129
Perrins, Christopher ed. Firefly Encyclopedia of Birds. Buffalo: Firefly Books, 2003
The copyright of the article Facts About Hummingbirds in Wild Birds is owned by Rosemary Drisdelle. Permission to republish Facts About Hummingbirds must be granted by the author in writing.
Comments
May 20, 2007 8:50 AM
Lisa Thomas
:
I am trying to find out if anyone knows, if after hummingbirds hatch if the mother or father ever move babies out of the nest just days after hatching. I had found a nest..with 2 eggs and set up a security camera and was joyfully watching her feed them and after the 4th day we turned our camera on and found only an empty nest. We cant figure out if something got them or she moved the babies. HArd to imagine them being moved ny a parent. Anyone have any thoughts or ideas?
May 21, 2007 4:57 AM
Rosemary Drisdelle
:
How disappointing! I've never read that hummingbirds move their young, so I think it's much more likely a predator got the hatchlings. Hummingbirds often nest again in the same season, however, so all is not lost for the parents.
May 22, 2007 9:39 AM
Lisa Thomas
:
yes it was very disappointing.. I was really looking forward to watching them grow up. I saw her(the mom) the following morning. She flew into her nesting area....then flew out..took a drink at the feeder..and flew off. Then I saw her again later in the day ..doin the same thing...kind of checking the nest then flying off. For her sake, I hope she builds a new nest somewhere a little higher. It was about "thigh" high..wich isnt very high at all. I sure did enjoy the little time I did get to watch...was a real treat. Thanks for your response..I appreciate it. Here is a link to some pics I took of the nest. the first one is the 1st baby hatching..the second one is of both of them. They hatched a day apart in the afternoon. Enjoy the photos
Excellent pictures! What a beautiful little nest. Do you know what kind of hummingbird it is?
May 23, 2007 7:19 AM
Lisa Thomas
:
I have no idea...I live in Washington State...and didnt get very far in my research after having lost them...
I did notice when she was in the right light...her throat glowed very bright red ...so maybe a ruby throated one... but I am definitely not sure. She also had some blue green reflections of color on her back.. while her underside was more earthy tones.. Glad you enjoyed the photos.
May 24, 2007 4:09 AM
Rosemary Drisdelle
:
Well we'll probably never know for sure but my vote is Rufous Hummingbird. Ruby-throated don't usually occur along the West coast unless they've gotten lost. You were probably seeing both the male (my book says "dark throat shining red in good light" - exactly what you said!) and the female, which has a green back. Thanks for sharing this story.
