- For the Australian jangle pop band, see The Hummingbirds.
Hummingbirds (family Trochilidae) are small birds capable of hovering in mid-air due to the rapid flapping of their wings (15 to 80 beats per second, depending on the size of the bird). They are named for the characteristic hum of this rapid wing motion. They are the only birds that can fly backwards.
Hummingbirds are attracted to many flowering plants—shrimp plants, fuchsias, many penstemons, etc.—especially those with red flowers. Hummingbirds feed on the nectar of these plants. They are important pollinators, especially of deep-throated flowers. Most species also eat insects.
Male hummingbirds are usually brightly coloured, females duller. The males take no part in nesting. The nest is usually a neat cup in a tree. Two white eggs are laid, which are quite small, but large relative to the bird's size. Incubation is typically 14-19 days.
The Bee Hummingbird (Mellisuga helenae) is, at 1.8 grams, the smallest bird in the world. A typical North American hummingbird, the Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) weighs approximately 3 grams and has a length of 7.6 cm (3 in).
Metabolism Hummingbirds have the highest metabolism of all animals, a necessity in order to support the rapid beating of their wings. Their heartbeat can reach 500 beats per minute! They also typically consume more than their own weight in food each day, and to do that, they have to visit hundreds of flowers every day. But at any given moment, they're hours away from starving. Fortunately, they are capable of slowing down their metabolism at night, or any other time food is not readily available. They enter a hibernation-like state known as torpor. During torpor, the heartrate and rate of breathing are both slowed dramatically, reducing their need for food.
Location  Hummingbird nest with young Hummingbirds are only found in the Americas, from southern Canada and Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, including the West Indies. The Black-chinned Hummingbird is the most common species in the western United States and Canada. Only the Ruby-throated Hummingbird breeds in eastern North America, but occasional members of other hummingbird species ("accidentals" in birding jargon) are seen in the east of North America, sometimes as vagrants from Cuba or the Bahamas.
Hummingbirds of the U.S. and Canada generally migrate to warmer climates, though some remain in the warmest coastal regions. In addition, there is an increasing trend for Rufous Hummingbirds to migrate east to winter in the eastern United States, rather than south to Central America, this trend being the result of increased survival with the provision of artificial feeders in gardens. In the past, individuals that migrated east would usually die, but now they survive, and their tendency to migrate east is inherited by their offspring. Provided sufficient food and shelter is available, they are surprisingly hardy, able to tolerate temperatures down to at least -20°C.
Hummingbirds and People
Feeding Hummingbirds will use feeders, particularly red ones. A suitable artificial nectar consists of one part sugar to four parts water. It is easiest to dissolve the sugar in boiling water, then cool it completely before putting it out for the birds. Sweet foods other than white sugar, such as honey, ferment too quickly and can injure the birds. Some commercial hummingbird foods are available, but they contain red dyes which are unnecessary and have been anecdotally reported to poison the birds. They also contain small amounts of nutrients, but hummingbirds apparently get their nutrients from the insects they eat, not from nectar, so the nutrients are also unnecessary. Thus plain white sugar and water make the best nectar.
The feeder should be rinsed and the water changed weekly, or more often in warm weather. At least once a month, or whenever black mold appears, it should be soaked in a solution of chlorine bleach. Hummingbirds tend to avoid feeders that have been cleaned with soap, possibly because they dislike the smell.
Much more detailed information is available at [1] (http://www.hummingbirds.net/).
Trapped Hummingbirds Hummingbirds sometimes fly into garages and become trapped. It is widely believed that this is because they mistake the hanging (usually red-colored) door-release handle for a flower, although hummingbirds can also get trapped in enclosures that do not contain anything red. Once inside, they may be unable to escape because their natural instinct when threatened or trapped is to fly upward. This is a life-threatening situation for hummingbirds, as they can become exhausted and die in a relatively short period of time, possibly as little as an hour. If a trapped hummingbird is within reach, it can often be caught gently and released outdoors. It will lie quietly in the space between cupped hands until released.
In Artistic Depiction The Aztec god Huitzilopochtli is often depicted as a hummingbird.
In Story The Ohlone tells the story[2] (http://www.npca.org/cultural_diversity/native_expression/hummingbird.asp) of how a Hummingbird brought fire to the world.
Taxonomy Traditionally hummingbirds were placed in the order Apodiformes, which also contains the swifts. In the modern Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy, hummingbirds are separated as a new hummingbird order Trochiliformes.
There are between 325 and 340 species of hummingbird, depending on taxonomic viewpoint, divided into two subfamilies, the hermits (subfamily Phaethornithinae, 34 species in six genera), and the typical hummingbirds (subfamily Trochilinae, all the others).
Hummingbirds have been thought to have evolved in South America, and the great majority of the species are found there. All the most familiar North American species are thought to be of relatively recent origin, and are therefore (following the usual procedure of lists starting with more 'ancestral' species and ending with the most recent) listed close to the end of the list.
Genetic analysis has indicated that hummingbirds diverged from other birds 30 to 40 million years ago, but fossil evidence has proved elusive. Fossil hummingbirds have been found as old as a million years, but older fossils had not been securely identifiable as hummingbirds. Then, in 2004, Dr. Gerald Mayr of the Senkenberg natural history museum in Frankfurt-am-Main identified two 30-million-year old German hummingbird fossils and published his results in Nature. The fossils of the extinct hummingbird species, Eurotrochilus inexpectatus ("unexpected European hummingbird") had been sitting in a museum drawer in Stuttgart. They had been unearthed in a claypit in Frauenweiler.
Subfamily Phaethornithinae - White-tipped Sicklebill, Eutoxeres aquila
- Buff-tailed Sicklebill, Eutoxeres condamini
- Band-tailed Barbthroat, Threnetes ruckeri
- Pale-tailed Barbthroat, Threnetes niger
- Broad-tipped Hermit, Anopetia gounellei
- White-whiskered Hermit, Phaethornis yaruqui
- Green Hermit, Phaethornis guy
- White-bearded Hermit, Phaethornis hispidus
- Western Long-tailed Hermit, Phaethornis longirostris
- Eastern Long-tailed Hermit, Phaethornis superciliosus
- Great-billed Hermit, Phaethornis malaris
- Tawny-bellied Hermit, Phaethornis syrmatophorus
- Koepcke's Hermit, Phaethornis koepckeae
- Needle-billed Hermit, Phaethornis philippii
- Straight-billed Hermit, Phaethornis bourcieri
- Pale-bellied Hermit, Phaethornis anthophilus
- Scale-throated Hermit, Phaethornis eurynome
- Planalto Hermit, Phaethornis pretrei
- Sooty-capped Hermit, Phaethornis augusti
- Buff-bellied Hermit, Phaethornis subochraceus
- Dusky-throated Hermit, Phaethornis squalidus
- Streak-throated Hermit, Phaethornis rupurumii
- Little Hermit, Phaethornis longuemareus
- Minute Hermit, Phaethornis idaliae
- Cinnamon-throated Hermit, Phaethornis nattereri
- Reddish Hermit, Phaethornis ruber
- White-browed Hermit, Phaethornis stuarti
- Black-throated Hermit, Phaethornis atrimentalis
- Stripe-throated Hermit, Phaethornis striigularis
- Gray-chinned Hermit, Phaethornis griseogularis
Subfamily Trochilinae - Wedge-tailed Sabrewing, Campylopterus curvipennis
- Long-tailed Sabrewing, Campylopterus excellens
- Gray-breasted Sabrewing, Campylopterus largipennis
- Rufous Sabrewing, Campylopterus rufus
- Violet Sabrewing, Campylopterus hemileucurus
- Rufous-breasted Sabrewing, Campylopterus hyperythrus
- White-tailed Sabrewing, Campylopterus ensipennis
- Lazuline Sabrewing, Campylopterus falcatus
- Santa Marta Sabrewing, Campylopterus phainopeplus
- Napo Sabrewing, Campylopterus villaviscensio
- Buff-breasted Sabrewing, Campylopterus duidae
- Sombre Hummingbird, Campylopterus cirrochloris
- White-necked Jacobin, Florisuga mellivora
- Black Jacobin, Florisuga fuscus
- Brown Violet-ear, Colibri delphinae
- Green Violet-ear, Colibri thalassinus
- Sparkling Violet-ear, Colibri coruscans
- White-vented Violet-ear, Colibri serrirostris
- Green-throated Mango, Anthracothorax viridigula
- Green-breasted Mango, Anthracothorax prevostii
- Black-throated Mango, Anthracothorax nigricollis
- Veraguan Mango, Anthracothorax veraguensis
- Antillean Mango, Anthracothorax dominicus
- Green Mango, Anthracothorax viridis
- Jamaican Mango, Anthracothorax mango
- Fiery-tailed Awlbill, Avocettula recurvirostris
- Crimson Topaz, Topaza pella
- Fiery Topaz, Topaza pyra
- Purple-throated Carib, Eulampis jugularis
- Green-throated Carib, Eulampis holosericeus
- Plovercrest, Stephanoxis lalandi
- Tufted Coquette, Lophornis ornatus
- Dot-eared Coquette, Lophornis gouldii
- Frilled Coquette, Lophornis magnificus
- Short-crested Coquette, Lophornis brachylophus
- Rufous-crested Coquette, Lophornis delattrei
- Spangled Coquette, Lophornis stictolophus
- Festive Coquette, Lophornis chalybeus
- Peacock Coquette, Lophornis pavoninus
- Black-crested Coquette, Lophornis helenae
- White-crested Coquette, Lophornis adorabilis
- Wire-crested Thorntail, Popelairia popelairii
- Black-bellied Thorntail, Popelairia langsdorffi
- Coppery Thorntail, Popelairia letitiae
- Green Thorntail, Discosura conversii
- Racket-tailed Coquette, Discosura longicauda
- Blue-chinned Sapphire, Chlorostilbon notatus
- Blue-tailed Emerald, Chlorostilbon mellisugus
- Golden-crowned Emerald, Chlorostilbon auriceps
- Cozumel Emerald, Chlorostilbon forficatus
- Canivet's Emerald, Chlorostilbon canivetii
- Garden Emerald, Chlorostilbon assimilis
- Glittering-bellied Emerald, Chlorostilbon aureoventris
- Chiribiquete Emerald, Chlorostilbon olivaresi
- Cuban Emerald, Chlorostilbon ricordii
- Hispaniolan Emerald, Chlorostilbon swainsonii
- Puerto Rican Emerald, Chlorostilbon maugaeus
- Coppery Emerald, Chlorostilbon russatus
- Narrow-tailed Emerald, Chlorostilbon stenurus
- Green-tailed Emerald, Chlorostilbon alice
- Short-tailed Emerald, Chlorostilbon poortmani
- White-tailed Emerald, Elvira chionura
- Coppery-headed Emerald, Elvira cupreiceps
- Dusky Hummingbird, Cynanthus sordidus
- Broad-billed Hummingbird, Cynanthus latirostris
- Blue-headed Hummingbird, Cyanophaia bicolor
- Blue-throated Goldentail, Hylocharis eliciae
- Rufous-throated Sapphire, Hylocharis sapphirina
- White-chinned Sapphire, Hylocharis cyanus
- Gilded Sapphire, Hylocharis chrysura
- Blue-headed Sapphire, Hylocharis grayi
- Xantus' Hummingbird, Hylocharis xantusii
- White-eared Hummingbird, Hylocharis leucotis
- Golden-tailed Sapphire, Chrysuronia oenone
- Plain-bellied Emerald, Agyrtria leucogaster
- Versicolored Emerald, Agyrtria versicolor
- Rondonia Emerald, Agyrtria rondoniae
- White-chested Emerald, Agyrtria brevirostris
- Andean Emerald, Agyrtria franciae
- White-bellied Emerald, Agyrtria candida
- Azure-crowned Hummingbird, Agyrtria cyanocephala
- Violet-crowned Hummingbird, Agyrtria violiceps
- Green-fronted Hummingbird, Agyrtria viridifrons
- Snowcap, Microchera albocoronata
- Blossomcrown, Anthocephala floriceps
- Ecuadorian Piedtail, Phlogophilus hemileucurus
- Peruvian Piedtail, Phlogophilus harterti
- Speckled Hummingbird, Adelomyia melanogenys
- Brazilian Ruby, Clytolaema rubricauda
- Magnificent Hummingbird, Eugenes fulgens
- White-tailed Hillstar, Urochroa bougueri
- Chestnut-breasted Coronet, Boissonneaua matthewsii
- Buff-tailed Coronet, Boissonneaua flavescens
- Velvet-purple Coronet, Boissonneaua jardini
- Shining Sunbeam, Aglaeactis cupripennis
- White-tufted Sunbeam, Aglaeactis castelnaudii
- Purple-backed Sunbeam, Aglaeactis aliciae
- Black-hooded Sunbeam, Aglaeactis pamela
- Andean Hillstar, Oreotrochilus estella
- Chimborazo Hillstar, Oreotrochilus chimborazo
- Green-headed Hillstar, Oreotrochilus stolzmanni
- White-sided Hillstar, Oreotrochilus leucopleurus
- Black-breasted Hillstar, Oreotrochilus melanogaster
- Wedge-tailed Hillstar, Oreotrochilus adela
- Mountain Velvetbreast, Lafresnaya lafresnayi
- Bronzy Inca, Coeligena coeligena
- Brown Inca, Coeligena wilsoni
- Black Inca, Coeligena prunellei
- Gould's Inca, Coeligena inca
- Collared Inca, Coeligena torquata
- White-tailed Starfrontlet, Coeligena phalerata
- Golden Starfrontlet, Coeligena eos
- Golden-bellied Starfrontlet, Coeligena bonapartei
- Blue-throated Starfrontlet, Coeligena helianthea
- Buff-winged Starfrontlet, Coeligena lutetiae
- Violet-throated Starfrontlet, Coeligena violifer
- Rainbow Starfrontlet, Coeligena iris
- Great Sapphirewing, Pterophanes cyanopterus
- Green-backed Firecrown, Sephanoides sephaniodes
- Juan Fernandez Firecrown, Sephanoides fernandensis
- Black-breasted Puffleg, Eriocnemis nigrivestis
- Glowing Puffleg, Eriocnemis vestitus
- Black-thighed Puffleg, Eriocnemis derbyi
- Turquoise-throated Puffleg, Eriocnemis godini
- Sapphire-vented Puffleg, Eriocnemis luciani
- Coppery-bellied Puffleg, Eriocnemis cupreoventris
- Coppery-naped Puffleg, Eriocnemis sapphiropygia
- Golden-breasted Puffleg, Eriocnemis mosquera
- Blue-capped Puffleg, Eriocnemis glaucopoides
- Colorful Puffleg, Eriocnemis mirabilis
- Emerald-bellied Puffleg, Eriocnemis alinae
- Greenish Puffleg, Haplophaedia aureliae
- Buff-thighed Puffleg, Haplophaedia assimilis
- Hoary Puffleg, Haplophaedia lugens
- Purple-bibbed Whitetip, Urosticte benjamini
- Rufous-vented Whitetip, Urosticte ruficrissa
- Booted Racket-tail, Ocreatus underwoodii
- Red-tailed Comet, Sappho sparganura
- Bronze-tailed Comet, Polyonymus caroli
- Bearded Mountaineer, Oreonympha nobilis
- Bearded Helmetcrest, Oxypogon guerinii
- Tyrian Metaltail, Metallura tyrianthina
- Perija Metaltail, Metallura iracunda
- Scaled Metaltail, Metallura aeneocauda
- Fire-throated Metaltail, Metallura eupogon
- Coppery Metaltail, Metallura theresiae
- Neblina Metaltail, Metallura odomae
- Violet-throated Metaltail, Metallura baroni
- Viridian Metaltail, Metallura williami
- Black Metaltail, Metallura phoebe
- Mountain Avocetbill, Opisthoprora euryptera
- Gray-bellied Comet, Taphrolesbia griseiventris
- Long-tailed Sylph, Aglaiocercus kingi
- Violet-tailed Sylph, Aglaiocercus coelestis
- Venezuelan Sylph, Aglaiocercus berlepschi
- Hyacinth Visorbearer, Augastes scutatus
- Hooded Visorbearer, Augastes lumachella
- Wedge-billed Hummingbird, Augastes geoffroyi
- Purple-crowned Fairy, Heliothryx barroti
- Black-eared Fairy, Heliothryx aurita
- Horned Sungem, Heliactin bilopha
- Marvelous Spatuletail, Loddigesia mirabilis
- Plain-capped Starthroat, Heliomaster constantii
- Long-billed Starthroat, Heliomaster longirostris
- Stripe-breasted Starthroat, Heliomaster squamosus
- Blue-tufted Starthroat, Heliomaster furcifer
- Oasis Hummingbird, Rhodopis vesper
- Peruvian Sheartail, Thaumastura cora
- Slender Sheartail, Doricha enicura
- Mexican Sheartail, Doricha eliza
- Lucifer Hummingbird, Calothorax lucifer
- Beautiful Hummingbird, Calothorax pulcher
- Chilean Woodstar, Eulidia yarrellii
- Short-tailed Woodstar, Myrmia micrura
- White-bellied Woodstar, Chaetocercus mulsant
- Little Woodstar, Chaetocercus bombus
- Gorgeted Woodstar, Chaetocercus heliodor
- Santa Marta Woodstar, Chaetocercus astreans
- Esmeraldas Woodstar, Chaetocercus berlepschi
- Rufous-shafted Woodstar, Chaetocercus jourdanii
See also
External links |
Feeds |
Contact