Hummingbird
Hummingbird Facts
| Size | 2.24 to 9 inches (57 mm to 23 cm) |
| Speed | Up to 30 mph (48 km/h) |
| Weight | 0.05-0.8 ounces (1.6-24 grams) |
| Lifespan | 3-5 years |
| Food | Nectar, tree sap, insects, spiders |
| Predators | Birds, snakes, lizards |
| Distribution | America |
| Habitat | Tropical forests, montane forests, scrublands |
| Order | Apodiformes |
| Family | Hummingbirds |
| Scientific name | Trochilidae |
| Characteristics | Mini bird with long beak, capable of flying backwards |
Main Characteristics
Hummingbirds are the tiniest and most delicate birds on the planet – yet they have abilities that no other animal possesses! They are well-known for their ability to fly backwards. Additionally, they can also fly sideways to the left and right, much like a helicopter.
Name
In German, it is also referred to as Schwirrvogel (buzzing bird) because of its remarkable flying abilities. Another name is Honigvogel (honey bird), reflecting its fondness for sweet nectar.
Species
There are over 350 species of hummingbirds. Among the most common are the Ruby-throated Hummingbird, the Rufous Hummingbird, the Anna's Hummingbird, and the Broad-tailed Hummingbird.
Distribution and Habitat
Distribution
Hummingbirds are found exclusively on the American continent, which is why they are often referred to as birds of the "New World." Their range extends from the southern parts of Alaska, through North America and Central America, all the way down to Tierra del Fuego in South America. There are no hummingbirds in the wild in Europe or Africa. If you spot a hummingbird in your garden, it’s likely a hummingbird moth – a remarkable butterfly that perfectly mimics the hovering flight of hummingbirds.
Habitat
Hummingbirds are true masters of adaptation. They inhabit a wide variety of habitats: these include dense tropical rainforests, arid deserts and savannas, as well as the cold mountainous regions of the Andes at elevations over 13,000 feet (4,000 meters). Many species have also adapted to human presence and can be found in gardens and parks.
Lifestyle
Hummingbirds are diurnal creatures. Their lives revolve almost entirely around foraging for food. Due to their rapid movements, they expend an incredible amount of energy. Hummingbirds are not team players at all. They are passionate solitaires and aggressively defend their favorite flowers from other hummingbirds.
Anatomy and Appearance
Height and Weight
Hummingbirds typically range from 2-10 inches (5-25 cm) in height and have a wingspan of 3.5-8.5 inches (9-21.5 cm). Their weight is 0.05-0.8 ounces (1.6-24 grams).
The Shimmering Plumage
Most hummingbirds feature a metallic, shimmering plumage. Depending on the angle of the light hitting their feathers, their colors can change. This optical phenomenon is known as interference (the superposition of light waves). You might recognize this colorful rainbow effect from soap bubbles or oil droplets spreading on a wet road.
The Beak - Not a Straw
For a long time, it was believed that hummingbirds used their beaks like straws to suck up nectar. However, this is not the case. To drink, the bird slightly opens its beak and extends its extremely long, forked tongue deep into the flower's corolla.
Records
The Smallest Hummingbird
The smallest hummingbird, and indeed the tiniest bird on the planet, is the Bee Hummingbird. From the tip of its beak to the end of its tail, it measures only 2.-2.3 inches (5-6 cm). This makes it barely larger than a standard USB stick or a business card.
The Largest Hummingbird
On the opposite end of the spectrum is the Giant Hummingbird, which resides in western South America and can reach an impressive body length of up to 10 inches (25 cm).
The Hummingbird with the Longest Beak
This record is held by the Sword-billed Hummingbird, found in the Andes from Venezuela to Bolivia. Its beak can exceed 10 cm in length, making it the only bird in the world whose beak is longer than its entire body!
The Smallest Bird Egg
Among all birds globally, the Dwarf Hummingbird lays the smallest eggs. In 1998, the Guinness World Records officially confirmed that a female laid two eggs measuring less than 10 mm in length, weighing a mere 0.0128 ounces (0.365 grams) and 0.0132 ounces (0.375 grams).
I once saw a hummingbird and naturally tried to take a picture of it. No luck! Their wings move so fast that all I ended up with were blurry photos ;)
Silke from animalfunfacts.net
Diet
Flower Nectar and Insects
Although hummingbirds are considered pure herbivores, they are biologically classified as omnivores. Their diet mainly consists of sugary flower nectar and sweet tree saps, but they also occasionally hunt small insects, aphids, and spiders from the air or leaves. This animal-based food is crucial for meeting their protein and mineral needs, especially during the rearing of their young.
Why Do They Need so Much Nectar?
Hummingbirds spend a significant portion of their lives in flight. To hover and drink from flowers, they flap their wings extremely fast. This is quite exhausting and requires a lot of energy. Therefore, they need a substantial amount of nectar, as it is rich in energy-providing sugars.
They Drink Five Times Their Weight
To meet their enormous energy demands, hummingbirds consume about five times their own body weight in liquid nectar each day. Fortunately, they have highly efficient kidneys. If we humans tried to drink that much, we would not survive; our kidneys cannot process that volume of liquid at once.
Behavior
The Hovering Flight
Hummingbirds have very flexible wing joints, allowing them to rotate their wings 180 degrees in flight and move them in a figure-eight pattern. This flying technique, known as hovering flight, enables them to fly backward, sideways, and in place. This "technique" is typically found only in insects like bees, hoverflies, dragonflies, and hummingbird moths.
One-Night Hibernation
When it gets cold at night, hummingbirds employ a clever survival trick: they lower their body temperature from a normal 40 °C down to as low as 9 °C.
Abilities and Senses
Sense of Sight
Hummingbirds have an exceptional sense of vision. They can even perceive ultraviolet light (UV light). This ability allows them to see patterns on flowers that are invisible to the human eye. They are particularly attracted to the colors red and orange, which usually indicate: "There’s plenty of sweet nectar here!"
Sense of Smell
Unlike most birds, hummingbirds possess a keen sense of smell. This helps them locate food and avoid dangerous insects.
Hummingbirds Drink While Flying
Hummingbirds primarily feed while in flight. As they hover effortlessly in the air, they sip sweet nectar from flower cups. They dip their tongues into the nectar 15-20 times per second (!), with the edges of their tongues curling up in a fraction of a second to capture the liquid and “pump” the sweet juice upwards.
Life Expectancy
In the wild, hummingbirds typically live for 3-5 years. The record is held by a broad-tailed hummingbird, which was banded in 1976 and recaptured in 1987, living for over 12 years.
Enemies and Threats
Natural Enemies
Hummingbirds face predation from larger birds (such as hawks), snakes and lizards. Even large insects like dragonflies or praying mantises can pose a threat to particularly small hummingbirds. Additionally, house cats near human habitats are a significant danger.
Human Impact
The most pressing issue for these birds is the loss of their habitat. Deforestation leads to a decline in their food sources. Climate change also disrupts the blooming times of plants, which can throw off the timing of hummingbirds during their long migrations.
Importance to the Ecosystem
In their native regions, hummingbirds are irreplaceable: they act as essential pollinators, transferring pollen from plant to plant. By visiting over 7,000 different plant species, they help ensure the survival and reproduction of countless rare flowers and trees within the American ecosystem.
Reproduction
Diving Flights as a Mating Ritual
To attract the attention of females during mating season, the males perform daring dive flights from great heights. After mating successfully, the partners go their separate ways – the male continues on, while the female takes on the responsibility of building the nest alone.
The Stretchable Nest
The female constructs a tiny, perfectly camouflaged nest using moss, lichens, and soft plant fibers. The clever trick is that she weaves everything together with spider silk. This makes the nest extremely stretchable and flexible. As the chicks grow, the nest simply expands instead of tearing apart.
The Rearing
After an incubation period of about two to three weeks, the chicks hatch. Initially, they are naked, blind, and helpless. The mother feeds her young with a nutritious, pre-digested mixture of nectar and insect larvae. After approximately four weeks in the nest, the young hummingbirds are fledged and independent.
The Hummingbird Is Related to:
- Nightjar
- Oilbird
- Owlet-Nightjar
- Tawny Frogmouth
Animals in the Same Habitat:
- Coati
- Howler Monkey
- Macaw
- Poison Dart Frog
- Sloth
- Spectacled Bear
- Toucan
Sources:
- Reversal of the adipostat control of torpor during migration in hummingbirds (https://elifesciences.org)
- A heterothermic spectrum in hummingbirds (https://journals.biologists.com)
- Morphological and behavioural adaptations to feed on nectar: how feeding ecology determines the diversity and composition of hummingbird assemblages (https://link.springer.com)
- How Long Do Hummingbirds Live? The answer is longer than you'd expect (https://www.birdwatchingdaily.com)
- What is that smell? Hummingbirds avoid foraging on resources with defensive insect compounds (https://link.springer.com)
- Hummingbird ingestion of low-concentration ethanol within artificial nectar (https://royalsocietypublishing.org)
Video: 28 Facts About Hummingbirds
(Video opens on YouTube)
