Home >> Science & Nature >> Nature

Important Characteristics of a Hummingbird

The hummingbird is the smallest bird in the world. They range from the 2 inch long bee hummingbird to the 9 inch long giant hummingbird, which resembles a finch with a long bill. Some of the males have long tails that sometimes end in beautiful disks or rackets. They also have gorgeous, iridescent feathers and their names, like the sparkling violet ear, stripe-breasted star throat, ruby-throated or turquoise-throated puffleg reflect this. Hummingbirds are mostly found in the tropics, though they can range as far north as Canada.

Metabolism
- Hummingbirds have a very high metabolism because of their tiny size, their heart rate, the way they fly and the amount of energy they need to fly. The average hummingbird has a metabolic rate of 3.14 and consumes 7.6 calories per day. That's equivalent to a human eating 155,000 calories a day. Hummingbirds sometimes go into torpor, or a state of semi-hibernation at night to conserve energy.
Flying
- Hummingbirds can fly in all directions, including, forward, backwards and from side to side because of adaptations in their bodies and muscles. Flight muscles power both the up and down stroke of the wing instead of just the down stroke as in other birds. The wings are made of hand bones instead of arm bones like other birds' wings,and can maneuver like hands. Hummingbirds can also hover and even fly upside down. Because their wing beats are so rapid, up to 200 times a second, they make a humming sound that resembles that made by an insect.
Reproduction and Lifespan
- The hummingbird breeding season varies with the region. The female lays one or two eggs per clutch in a cuplike nest made of fibers, plant down, cobwebs and bits of dead leaves, lichen and moss. Only the female incubates the eggs for 15 to 16 days. When the young are between 18 and 22 days old, they leave the nest but are still fed by the mother. The mother comes to feed them as they wait nearby. The hummingbird lives about three to five years.
Territory
- Despite their tiny size, or because of it, hummingbirds can be quite aggressive and territorial. Larger hummingbirds, butterflies, bees and even hawks can sometimes be dive-bombed by a hummingbird guarding its territory. Hummingbirds also sing to proclaim territory.
Diet
- Hummingbirds feed on nectar, small insects and spiders. They have long, forked hollow tongues that can reach into the corollas of slender plants. Hummingbirds help plants by pollinating them. Some hummingbirds, like South America's white-tipped sicklebill, have curved bills to probe flowers like heliconia.They also take spiders and small insects from leaves and branches. Hummingbirds are also territorial when feeding and will attack intruders.

Nature