Hummingbird: Difference between revisions
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{{Taxobox |
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| name = Hummingbird |
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| image = Archilochus-alexandri-002-edit.jpg |
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| image_caption = Female [[Black-chinned Hummingbird]] |
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| regnum = [[Animalia]] |
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| phylum = [[Chordata]] |
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| classis = [[Bird|Aves]] |
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| subclassis = [[Neornithes]] |
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| infraclassis = [[Neognathae]] |
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| chips = [[Cypselomorphae]] |
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| ordo = [[Apodiformes]] |
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| familia = '''Trochilidae''' |
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| familia_authority = [[Nicholas Aylward Vigors|Vigors]], 1825 |
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| subdivision_ranks = Subfamilies |
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| subdivision = |
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[[Hermit (hummingbird)|Phaethornithinae]]<br /> |
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[[Trochilinae]]<br /> |
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---- |
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For a taxonomic list of genera, see: |
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* [[List of hummingbirds in taxonomic order]] |
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For an alphabetic species list, see: |
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* [[List of hummingbirds|Alphabetic species list]] |
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}} |
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'''Hummingbirds''' are [[birds]] that comprise the family '''Trochilidae'''. They are among the smallest of birds, most species measuring in the 7.5–13 cm (3–5 in) range. Indeed, the smallest [[extant taxon|extant]] bird species is a hummingbird, the 5-cm [[Bee Hummingbird]]. They can hover in mid-air by rapidly flapping their [[wing]]s 12–90 times per second (depending on the species). They are also the only group of birds able to fly backwards.<ref>Ridgely, Robert S.; and Paul G. Greenfield. ''The Birds of Ecuador'', volume 2, Field Guide, [[Cornell University Press]], 2001</ref> Their English name derives from the characteristic [[hum (sound)|hum]] made by their rapid wing beats. They can fly at speeds exceeding 15 m/s (54 km/h, 34 mi/h).<ref>Clark and Dudley (2009). "Flight costs of long, sexually selected tails in hummingbirds". ''Proceedings of the Royal Society of London'', March 2009.</ref> |
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==Diet and specialization for food gathering== |
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[[Image:Colibri-thalassinus-001-edit.jpg|left|thumb|[[Green Violetear]] at a flower.]] |
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[[Image:Haeckel Trochilidae.jpg|thumb|A color plate illustration from [[Ernst Haeckel]]'s ''[[Kunstformen der Natur]]'' (1899), showing a variety of hummingbirds.]] |
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Hummingbirds drink [[nectar]], a sweet liquid inside certain flowers. Like bees, they are able to assess the amount of sugar in the nectar they eat; they reject flower types that produce nectar that is less than 10% sugar and prefer those whose sugar content is stronger. Nectar is a poor source of [[nutrients]], so hummingbirds meet their needs for [[protein]], [[amino acids]], [[vitamins]], [[minerals]], etc. by preying on [[insect]]s and [[spider]]s.<ref>[http://www.allaboutbirds.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=2031 Not All Sweetness and Light]</ref> |
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Most hummingbirds have bills that are long and straight or nearly so, but in some species the bill shape is adapted for specialized feeding. [[Chalcostigma|Thornbills]] have short, sharp bills adapted for feeding from flowers with short [[corolla (flower)|corollas]] and piercing the bases of longer ones. The Sicklebills' extremely decurved bills are adapted to extracting nectar from the curved corollas of flowers in the family [[Gesneriaceae]]. The bill of the [[Fiery-tailed Awlbill]] has an upturned tip, as in the [[Avocet]]s. The male [[Tooth-billed Hummingbird]] has barracuda-like spikes at the tip of its long, straight bill. |
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The two halves of a hummingbird's bill have a pronounced overlap, with the lower half ([[mandible]]) fitting tightly inside the upper half ([[maxilla]]). When hummingbirds feed on nectar, the bill is usually only opened slightly, allowing the tongue to dart out and into the interior of flowers. |
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Like the similar nectar-feeding [[sunbirds]] and unlike other birds, hummingbirds drink by using protrusible grooved or trough-like tongues.<ref name=cade1>Cade, Tom J.; and Lewis I. Greenwald. [http://elibrary.unm.edu/sora/Auk/v083n01/p0126-p0128.pdf "Drinking Behavior of Mousebirds in the Namib Desert, Southern Africa"], ''The Auk'', v. 83, No. 1, January 1966.</ref> |
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Hummingbirds do not spend all day flying, as the energy cost would be prohibitive; the majority of their activity consists simply of sitting or perching. Hummingbirds feed in many small meals, consuming many small invertebrates and up to twelve times their own body weight in nectar each day. They spend an average of 10–15% of their time feeding and 75–80% sitting and digesting. |
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===Co-evolution with ornithophilous flowers=== |
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[[Image:Purple-throated carib hummingbird feeding.jpg|left|thumb|Purple-throated carib feeding at a flower]] |
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Hummingbirds are specialized [[nectarivore]]s<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Stiles |first=Gary |title=Geographical Aspects of Bird Flower Coevolution, with Particular Reference to Central America |jstor=2398801 |journal=Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden |volume=68 |issue= 2|pages=323–351 |year=1981 |doi=10.2307/2398801 }}</ref> and are tied to the [[ornithophilous]] flowers they feed upon. Some species, especially those with unusual bill shapes such as the [[Sword-billed Hummingbird]] and the sicklebills, are [[co-evolution|co-evolved]] with a small number of flower species. |
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Many plants pollinated by hummingbirds produce flowers in shades of [[red]], [[Orange (colour)|orange]], and bright [[pink]], though the birds will take nectar from flowers of many colors. Hummingbirds can see [[wavelength]]s into the [[near-ultraviolet]], but their flowers do not reflect these wavelengths as many insect-pollinated flowers do. This narrow [[color spectrum]] may render hummingbird-pollinated flowers relatively inconspicuous to most insects, thereby reducing [[nectar robbing]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Rodríguez-Gironés |first=M. A. |last2=Santamaría |first2=L. |year=2004 |title=Why Are So Many Bird Flowers Red? |journal=PLoS Biol |pmid=15486585 |volume=2 |issue=10 |pmc=521733 |pages=e350 |doi=10.1371/journal.pbio.0020350 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Altschuler |first=D. L. |year=2003 |title=Flower Color, Hummingbird Pollination, and Habitat Irradiance in Four Neotropical Forests |journal=[[Biotropica]] |volume=35 |issue=3 |pages=344–355 |doi= }}</ref> Hummingbird-pollinated flowers also produce relatively weak nectar (averaging 25% sugars w/w) containing high concentrations of [[sucrose]], whereas insect-pollinated flowers typically produce more concentrated nectars dominated by [[fructose]] and [[glucose]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Nicolson |first=S. W. |lastauthoramp=yes |first2=P. A. |title=Nectar as food for birds: the physiological consequences of drinking dilute sugar solutions |journal=Plant Syst. Evol. |volume=238 |issue= |pages=139–153 |year=2003 |doi=10.1007/s00606-003-0276-7 |unused_data=DUPLICATE DATA: last=Fleming }}</ref> |
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==Aerodynamics of flight== |
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[[File:Hummingbird Aerodynamics of flight.jpg|thumb|left|A hummingbird hovering in mid-air]] |
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[[File:Hummingbird hovering in mid-air.ogv|thumb|220px|A hummingbird feeding in mid-air]] |
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[[Image:Hummingbird wake Pengo.svg|thumb|A trail of wake [[Vortex|vortices]] generated by a hummingbird's flight. Discovered after training a bird to fly through a cloud of neutrally buoyant helium-filled soap bubbles and recording airflows in the wake with [[stereo photography]].<ref>Rayner, J.M.V. 1995. Dynamics of vortex wakes of flying and swimming vertebrates. ''J. Exp. Biol.'' 49:131–155.</ref>]] |
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[[File:Anna's hummingbird - II.jpg|[[Anna's Hummingbird]], ''Calypte anna'' performs [[personal grooming]]|thumb]] |
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Hummingbird flight has been studied intensively from an [[aerodynamics|aerodynamic]] perspective using wind tunnels and high-speed [[video camera]]s. |
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Writing in ''[[Nature (journal)|Nature]]'', the [[biophysics|biomechanist]] [[Douglas Warrick]] and coworkers studied the [[Rufous Hummingbird]], ''Selasphorus rufus'', in a [[wind tunnel]] using [[particle image velocimetry]] techniques and investigated the lift generated on the bird's upstroke and downstroke. They concluded that their subjects produced 75% of their weight support during the downstroke and 25% during the upstroke. Many earlier studies had assumed (implicitly or explicitly) that [[lift (force)|lift]] was generated equally during the two phases of the wingbeat cycle, as is the case of insects of a similar size. This finding shows that hummingbirds' hovering is similar to, but distinct from, that of hovering insects such as the [[hawk moth]]s.<ref name="Warrick et al.">Warrick, D. R.; Tobalske, B.W. & Powers, D.R. (2005). "Aerodynamics of the hovering hummingbird". ''[[Nature (journal)|Nature]]'' 435: 1094–1097 {{DOI|10.1038/nature03647}} (HTML abstract)</ref> |
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The Giant Hummingbird's wings beat at 8 to 10 beats per second, the wings of medium-sized hummingbirds beat about 20 to 25 beats per second and the smallest can reach 100 beats per second during courtship displays. |
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[[File:Hummingbird.ogg|thumb|220px|Hummingbird in [[Copiapó, Chile]]]] |
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A slow motion video has shown how the hummingbirds deal with water when they are flying. To remove the water from their heads, they "shake their heads" with incredible speed up to 34G in accelaration forces, but researchers still don't know how out they manage to hover when it is raining.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://hummingbirdbirdfeeder.net/ |title=How Hummingbirds Fly When It Is Raining |accessdate=November 11, 2011}}</ref> |
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==Metabolism== |
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With the exception of insects, hummingbirds while in flight have the highest [[metabolism]] of all animals, a necessity in order to support the rapid beating of their wings. Their [[heart rate]] can reach as high as 1,260 beats per minute, a rate once measured in a [[Blue-throated Hummingbird]].<ref>{{cite web|author=Lanny Chambers |url=http://www.hummingbirds.net/about.html#heartbeat |title=About Hummingbirds |publisher=Hummingbirds.net |date= |accessdate=25 January 2009}}</ref> They also consume more than their own weight in nectar each day, and to do so they must visit hundreds of flowers daily. Hummingbirds are continuously hours away from starving to death, and are able to store just enough energy to survive overnight.<ref>{{cite journal | author=Hainsworth, Reed | coauthors=Wolf, Larry | title=Hummingbird Feeding | url=http://www.hummingbirds.net/hainsworth.html | journal=Wildbird Magazine | date=May 1993}}</ref> |
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Hummingbirds 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 heart rate and rate of breathing are both slowed dramatically (the heart rate to roughly 50 to 180 beats per minute), reducing the need for food. |
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The dynamic range of metabolic rates in hummingbirds<ref>Suarez, R. K.; Gass, C. L. (2002). "Hummingbirds foraging and the relation between bioenergetics and behavior". ''Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology'', Part A. 133: 335–343.</ref> requires a corresponding dynamic range in [[kidney]] function.<ref name="Bakken et al">Bakken, B. H., McWhorter, T. J., Tsahar, E., Martinez del Rio, C. (2004). "Hummingbirds arrest their kidneys at night: diel variation in glomerular filtration rate in Selasphorus platycercus". ''The Journal of Experimental Biology''. 207: 4383–4391.</ref> The [[glomerulus]] is a cluster of capillaries in the [[nephrons]] of the kidney that removes certain substances from the blood, like a filtration mechanism. The rate at which blood is processed is called the glomerular filtration rate (GFR). Most often these fluids are reabsorbed by the kidneys. During torpor, to prevent dehydration, the GFR slows, preserving necessities for the body such as glucose, water and salts. GFR also slows when a bird is undergoing water deprivation. The interruption of GFR is a survival and physiological mechanism unique to hummingbirds.<ref name="Bakken et al" /> |
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Studies of hummingbirds' metabolisms are highly relevant to the question of how a [[bird migration|migrating]] [[Ruby-throated Hummingbird]] can cross {{Convert|800|km|mi|abbr=on}} of the [[Gulf of Mexico]] on a nonstop flight. This hummingbird, like other birds preparing to migrate, stores up fat to serve as fuel, thereby augmenting its weight by as much as 100 percent and hence increasing the bird's potential flying time.<ref name="Skutch, 1973">Skutch, Alexander F. & Singer, Arthur B. (1973): ''The Life of the Hummingbird''. Crown Publishers, New York. ISBN 0-517-50572-X</ref> |
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===Lifespan=== |
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Hummingbirds have long lifespans for organisms with such rapid metabolisms. Though many die during their first year of life, especially in the vulnerable period between hatching and leaving the nest (fledging), those that survive may live a decade or more. Among the better-known North American species, the average lifespan is 3 to 5 years. By comparison, the smaller [[shrew]]s, among the smallest of all mammals, seldom live more than 2 years.<ref name="Churchfield">{{cite book |last=Churchfield |first=Sara. |title=The natural history of shrews |year=1990 |publisher=Cornell University Press |pages=35–37 |isbn=0801425956}}</ref> The longest recorded lifespan in the wild is that of a female Broad-tailed Hummingbird that was [[bird ringing|banded]] (ringed) as an adult at least one year old, then recaptured 11 years later, making her at least 12 years old. Other longevity records for [[bird banding|banded]] hummingbirds include an estimated minimum age of 10 years 1 month for a female [[Black-chinned Hummingbird|Black-chinned]] similar in size to Broad-tailed, and at least 11 years 2 months for a much larger [[Buff-bellied Hummingbird]].<ref name="BBL">Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Bird Banding Laboratory. [http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/BBL/homepage/long3930.cfm/ Longevity Records AOU Numbers 3930 – 4920] 2009-08-31. Retrieved 2009-09-27.</ref> |
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==Range== |
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Hummingbirds are restricted to the [[Americas]] from southern [[Alaska]] to [[Tierra del Fuego]], including the [[Caribbean]]. The majority of species occur in tropical and subtropical [[Central America|Central]] and [[South America]], but several species also breed in temperate climates and some [[hillstar]]s occur even in alpine [[Andean]] highlands at altitudes of up to {{convert|5200|m|ft}}.<ref>Fjeldså, J., & I. Heynen (1999). Genus Oreotrochilus. Pp. 623-624 in: del Hoyo, J., A. Elliott, & J. Sargatal. eds. (1999). ''[[Handbook of the Birds of the World]].'' Vol. 5. Barn-owls to Hummingbirds. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. ISBN 84-87334-25-3</ref> The greatest [[species richness]] is in humid tropical and subtropical forests of the northern Andes and adjacent foothills, but the number of species found in the [[Atlantic Forest]], Central America or southern [[Mexico]] also far exceeds the number found in southern South America, the Caribbean islands, the [[United States]] and [[Canada]]. While fewer than 25 different species of hummingbirds have been recorded from the United States and fewer than 10 from Canada and [[Chile]] each,<ref>Jaramillo, A., & R. Barros (2010). ''[http://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCListByCountry.xls Species lists of birds for South American countries and territories: Chile.]''</ref> [[Colombia]] alone has more than 160<ref>Salaman, P., T. Donegan, & D. Caro (2009). ''[http://www.proaves.org/IMG/pdf/Aves_de_Colombia_2009-2.pdf Checklist to the Birds of Colombia 2009.]'' Conservation Colombiana 8. [[Fundación ProAves]]</ref> and the comparably small [[Ecuador]] has about 130 species.<ref>Freile, J. (2009). ''[http://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCListByCountry.xls Species lists of birds for South American countries and territories: Ecuador.]''</ref> |
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Only the migratory [[Ruby-throated Hummingbird]] breeds in continental [[North America]] east of the [[Mississippi River]] and [[Great Lakes]]. The [[Black-chinned Hummingbird]], its close relative and another migrant, is the most widespread and common species in the western United States, while the [[Rufous Hummingbird]] is the most widespread species in western Canada.<ref name="hummingbirds2002">Williamson, S. L. (2002). ''A Field Guide to Hummingbirds of North America'' (Peterson Field Guide Series). Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston. ISBN 0-618-02496-4</ref> |
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Most hummingbirds of the U.S. and Canada migrate south in fall to spend the winter in northern Mexico or Central America. A few southern South American species also move to the tropics in the southern winter. A few species are year-round residents in the warmer coastal and interior desert regions. Among these is [[Anna's Hummingbird]], a common resident from southern California inland to southern Arizona and north to southwestern [[British Columbia]]. |
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The Rufous Hummingbird is one of several species that breed in western North America and are wintering in increasing numbers in the southeastern United States, rather than in tropical Mexico. Thanks in part to artificial feeders and winter-blooming gardens, hummingbirds formerly considered doomed by faulty navigational instincts are surviving northern winters and even returning to the same gardens year after year. Individuals that survive winters in the north, however, may have altered internal navigation instincts that could be passed on to their offspring. The Rufous Hummingbird nests farther north than any other species and must tolerate temperatures below freezing on its breeding grounds. This cold hardiness enables it to survive temperatures well below freezing, provided that adequate shelter and feeders are available. |
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==Reproduction== |
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[[File:Hummingbird Incubating3.jpg|thumb|Hummingbird incubating in [[Copiapó, Chile]]]] |
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[[Image:Hummingbird nest with two chicks in Santa Monica, CA. Photo taken June 26, 2006.jpg|thumb|Hummingbird nest with two chicks in [[Santa Monica, California]]]] |
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[[Image:Calliope-nest edit.jpg|thumb|left|Calliope Hummingbird feeding two chicks in [[Grand Teton National Park]]]] |
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As far as is known, male hummingbirds do not take part in nesting. Most species build a cup-shaped nest on the branch of a tree or shrub, though a few tropical species normally attach their nests to leaves. The nest varies in size relative to species, from smaller than half a [[walnut]] shell to several centimeters in diameter. In many hummingbird species, spider silk is used to bind the nest material together and secure the structure to its support. The unique properties of silk allow the nest to expand with the growing young. Two white eggs are laid, which, despite being the smallest of all bird eggs, are in fact large relative to the hummingbird's adult size. [[Avian incubation|Incubation]] lasts 14 to 23 days, depending on species, ambient temperature, and female attentiveness to the nest. The mother feeds her nestlings on small [[arthropods]] and nectar by inserting her bill into the open mouth of a nestling and regurgitating the food into its crop. |
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==Sonation during display dives== |
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The outer tail-feathers of male Anna's Hummingbird (''[[Calypte anna]]'') vibrate during display dives and produce a loud chirp. When courting, the male ascends some 30m before diving over an interested female at high speed and producing a high-pitched sound. Experiments showed that the birds could not make the sound when missing their outer tail-feathers, and that those same feathers could produce the dive-sound in a wind tunnel. The bird can sing at the same frequency as the tail-feather chirp, but its weak [[Syrinx (biology)|syrinx]] is not capable of the same volume. Many other species of hummingbirds also produce sounds with their wings or tail, including the wings of the Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Rufous Hummingbird, Allen's Hummingbird, Streamertail, as well as the tail of the Costa's Hummingbird and the Black-chinned Hummingbird.<ref>http://www.cosmosmagazine.com/news/1829/hummingbird-sings-with-its-tail-feathers</ref> |
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==Systematics and evolution== |
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[[Image:Hummingbird feather.jpg|thumb|Hummingbird feather]] |
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In traditional taxonomy, hummingbirds are placed in the order [[Apodiformes]], which also contains the [[swift]]s. However, some taxonomists have separated them into their own order, [[Trochiliformes]]. Hummingbirds' wing bones are hollow and fragile, making fossilization difficult and leaving their evolutionary history poorly documented. Though scientists theorize that hummingbirds originated in South America, where there is the greatest species diversity, possible ancestors of extant hummingbirds may have lived in parts of Europe to what is southern [[Russia]] today.<ref>{{cite journal |journal=Biologist |volume=52 |issue=1 |pages=12–16 |first=Gerald |last=Mayr |title=Fossil Hummingbirds of the Old World |date= March 2005 |format=PDF |url=http://www.senckenberg.de/files/content/forschung/abteilung/terrzool/ornithologie/hummingbird_biologist.pdf}}</ref> |
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There are between 325 and 340 species of hummingbird, depending on taxonomic viewpoint, divided into two subfamilies, the ''[[hermit (hummingbird)|hermits]]'' (subfamily ''[[Phaethornithinae]]'', 34 species in six genera), and the ''typical hummingbirds'' (subfamily ''[[Trochilinae]]'', all the others). However, recent phylogenetic analyses suggest that this division is slightly inaccurate, and that there are nine major [[clades]] of hummingbirds: the [[topaz (hummingbird)|topazes]] and [[jacobin (hummingbird)|jacobins]], the hermits, the [[Anthracothorax|mangoes]], the coquettes, the brilliants, the Giant Hummingbird (''[[Patagona gigas]]''), the [[mountain-gem]]s, the bees, and the emeralds.<ref>McGuire, J. A., Witt, C. C., Altshuler, D. L., and Remsen Jr., J. V. 2007. "Phylogenetic systematics and biogography of hummingbirds: Bayesian and maximum likelihood analyses of partitioned data and selection of an appropriate partitioning strategy." ''Systematic Biology'', 56: 837–856.</ref> The topazes and jacobins combined have the oldest split with the rest of the hummingbirds. The hummingbird family has the second greatest number of species of any bird family on Earth (after the [[tyrant flycatcher]]s). |
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Fossil hummingbirds are known from the [[Pleistocene]] of [[Brazil]] and the [[Bahamas]]; however, neither has yet been scientifically described, and there are fossils and subfossils of a few extant species known. Until recently, older fossils had not been securely identifiable as those of hummingbirds. |
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In 2004, Dr. [[Gerald Mayr]] of the [[Senckenberg Museum]] in [[Frankfurt am Main]] identified two 30-million-year-old hummingbird fossils and published his results in ''[[Science (journal)|Science]]''.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2004/05/06/bird_fossils040506.html |title=Oldest hummingbird fossil found |publisher=Cbc.ca |date=2004–05–06 |accessdate=2009–01–25}}</ref> The fossils of this primitive hummingbird species, named ''[[Eurotrochilus inexpectatus]]'' ("unexpected European hummingbird"), had been sitting in a museum drawer in [[Stuttgart]]; they had been unearthed in a clay pit at [[Wiesloch]]–Frauenweiler, south of [[Heidelberg]], [[Germany]] and, because it was assumed that hummingbirds never occurred outside the Americas, were not recognized to be hummingbirds until Mayr took a closer look at them. |
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Fossils of birds not clearly assignable to either hummingbirds or a related, extinct family, the [[Jungornithidae]], have been found at the [[Messel pit]] and in the [[Caucasus]], dating from 40–35 [[mya (unit)|mya]]; this indicates that the split between these two lineages indeed occurred at that date. The areas where these early fossils have been found had a climate quite similar to the northern [[Caribbean]] or southernmost [[China]] during that time. The biggest remaining mystery at the present time is what happened to hummingbirds in the roughly 25 million years between the primitive ''Eurotrochilus'' and the modern fossils. The astounding morphological adaptations, the decrease in size, and the dispersal to the Americas and extinction in Eurasia all occurred during this timespan. [[DNA-DNA hybridization]] results <ref name="Bleiweiss et al.">Bleiweiss, Robert; Kirsch, John A. W. & Matheus, Juan Carlos (1999): DNA-DNA hybridization evidence for subfamily structure among hummingbirds. ''[[Auk (journal)|Auk]]'' 111(1): 8–19. {{PDFlink|[http://elibrary.unm.edu/sora/Auk/v111n01/p0008-p0019.pdf fulltext]|901 KB}}</ref> suggest that the main radiation of South American hummingbirds at least partly took place in the [[Miocene]], some 12 to 13 mya, during the uplifting of the northern [[Andes]]. |
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==Wing structure and colours== |
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Many of the Hummingbird species have bright plumage with exotic colouration. In many species, the coloring does not come from [[pigment]]ation in the feather structure, but instead from prism-like cells within the top layers of the feathers. When light hits these cells, it is split into [[wavelength]]s that reflect to the observer in varying degrees of intensity. The Hummingbird wing structure acts as a [[diffraction grating]]. The result is that, merely by shifting position, a muted-looking bird will suddenly become fiery red or vivid green.<ref>|url=http://www.hsus.org/press_and_publications/humane_society_magazines_and_newsletters/wild_neighbors_news/volume_2_nuber_2_spring_2000/hummingbirds_in_your_backyard/</ref> However, not all hummingbird colors are due to the [[Prism (optics)|prism]] feather structure. The rusty browns of Allen's and Rufous Hummingbirds come from pigmentation. [[Iridescence|Iridescent]] hummingbird colors actually result from a combination of refraction and pigmentation, since the diffraction structures themselves are made of [[melanin]], a pigment.<ref>|url=http://www.learner.org/jnorth/search/HummerNotes1.html</ref> |
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===Lists of species and genera=== |
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* [[List of hummingbirds|Alphabetical list, sortable by common or binomial name]] |
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* [[List of hummingbirds in taxonomic order]] |
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==Feeders and artificial nectar== |
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[[Image:humm7.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Hummingbirds will either hover or perch to feed; red feeders are preferred, but colored liquid is not necessary.]] |
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Hummingbirds will also take sugar-water from [[bird feeder]]s. Such feeders allow people to observe and enjoy hummingbirds up close while providing the birds with a reliable source of energy, especially when flower blossoms are less abundant. |
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[[sucrose|White granulated sugar]] is the best sweetener to use in hummingbird feeders. A ratio of 1 cup sugar to 4 cups water is a common recipe.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nationalzoo.si.edu/ConservationAndScience/MigratoryBirds/WebCam/hummingbird_nectar_recipe.cfm |title=Hummingbird Nectar Recipe |publisher=Nationalzoo.si.edu |date= |accessdate=2010-03-20}}</ref> Boiling and then cooling this mixture before use has been recommended to help deter the growth of bacteria and yeasts. Powdered sugars contain corn starch as an anti-caking agent; this additive can contribute to premature fermentation of the solution. Brown, turbinado, and "raw" sugars contain [[iron]], which can be deadly to hummingbirds if consumed over long periods.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://microvet.arizona.edu/AzVDL/newsletters/Apr05.pdf |title=Arizona Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory Newsletter, April 2005 |format=PDF |date= |accessdate=2010-03-20}}</ref> [[Honey]] is made by [[bees]] from the nectar of flowers, but it is not good to use in feeders because when it is diluted with water, [[microorganisms]] easily grow in it, causing it to spoil rapidly.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/lists/hummingbird/2003021845028716.html |title=Feeders and Feeding Hummingbirds (The Entire Article) |publisher=Faq.gardenweb.com |date=2008–01–09 |accessdate=2009–01–25}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sabo.org/hbfaqs.htm#honey |title=Hummingbird F.A.Q.s from the Southeastern Arizona Bird Observatory |publisher=Sabo.org |date=2008–11–25 |accessdate=2009–01–25}}</ref> |
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[[Allura Red AC|Red food dye]] is often added to homemade solutions. Commercial products sold as "instant nectar" or "hummingbird food" may also contain [[preservative]]s and/or artificial flavors as well as dyes. The long-term effects of these additives on hummingbirds have not been studied, but studies on laboratory animals indicate the potential to cause disease and premature mortality at high consumption rates.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.trochilids.com/dye.html |title=Should I Add Red Dye to My Hummingbird Food? |publisher=Trochilids.com |date= |accessdate=2010-03-20}}</ref> Although some commercial products contain small amounts of nutritional additives, hummingbirds obtain all necessary nutrients from the insects they eat. This renders the added nutrients unnecessary.<ref name="hummingbirds2002"/> |
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[[Image:Hummingbird-Feeder-Transparent.jpg|thumb|Hummingbird hovering to feed at a red feeder with yellow "flowers"]] |
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Other animals also visit hummingbird feeders. Bees, [[wasp]]s, and [[ant]]s are attracted to the sugar-water and may crawl into the feeder, where they may become trapped and drown. [[New World oriole|Orioles]], [[woodpeckers]], [[bananaquit]]s, and other larger animals are known to drink from hummingbird feeders, sometimes tipping them and draining the liquid.<ref>Williamson, S. (2000). ''Attracting and Feeding Hummingbirds''. (Wild Birds Series) T.F.H. Publications, Neptune City, New Jersey. ISBN 0-7938-3580-1</ref> In the southwestern United States, two species of nectar-drinking bats (''[[Leptonycteris yerbabuenae]]'' and ''[[Choeronycteris mexicana]]'') visit hummingbird feeders to supplement their natural diet of nectar and pollen from [[saguaro]] cacti and [[agave]]s.<ref name="test">{{cite web|url=http://fireflyforest.net/firefly/2006/10/11/tucsons-hummingbird-feeder-bats/ |title=Tucson's Hummingbird Feeder Bats |publisher=The Firefly Forest |date= |accessdate=2010-03-20}}</ref> |
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==In myth and culture== |
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[[Aztec]]s wore hummingbird [[amulet|talisman]]s, the talismans being representations as well as actual hummingbird [[fetishism|fetishes]] formed from parts of real hummingbirds: emblematic for their vigor, energy, and propensity to do work along with their sharp beaks that mimic instruments of weaponry, bloodletting, penetration, and intimacy. Hummingbird talismans were prized as drawing sexual potency, energy, vigor, and skill at arms and [[warfare]] to the wearer.<ref>{{cite book | author=Werness, Hope B | coauthors=Benedict, Joanne H; Thomas, Scott; Ramsay-Lozano, Tiffany | year=2004 | title=The Continuum Encyclopedia of Animal Symbolism in Art | publisher=[[Continuum International Publishing Group]] | url=http://books.google.com/?id=fr2rANLrPmoC&pg=PA228&lpg=PA228&dq=hummingbird+mythology+symbolism | accessdate=2009–01–03 | page=229 | isbn=9780826415257}}</ref> |
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[[Image:Nazca colibri.jpg|thumb|Aerial photograph of hummingbird image as part of [[Nazca Lines]] in [[Peru]]]] |
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* The [[Aztec]] god [[Huitzilopochtli]] is often depicted as a hummingbird. The [[Nahuatl]] word ''huitzil'' (hummingbird) is an [[onomatopoeia|onomatopoeic]] word derived from the sounds of the hummingbird's wing-beats and zooming flight. |
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*One of the [[Nazca Lines]] depicts a hummingbird. |
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* The [[Ohlone]] tells the story of how Hummingbird brought fire to the world.<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20070514013337/http://npca-retired.wsm.ga1.org/cultural_diversity/native_expression/hummingbird.html Native Expressions: "How Hummingbird Got Fire"] at the [[National Parks Conservation Association]] (archived)</ref> |
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* [[Trinidad and Tobago]] is known as "The land of the hummingbird," and a hummingbird can be seen on that nation's [[coat of arms]] and 1-cent coin as well as its national airline, [[Caribbean Airlines]]. |
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* [[Chrysler]]'s gear-reduction [[Starter motor#Gear reduction|starter motor]] used from the early 1960s to the late 1980s was nicknamed the "Highland Park Hummingbird" after Chrysler's hometown and the starter's distinctive cranking sound. |
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==Gallery== |
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<gallery> |
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File:DSC 0778.JPG|Anna's Hummingbird |
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File:TrafficJam.jpg|Feeding frenzy |
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File:Eugenes-fulgens-001.jpg|[[Magnificent Hummingbird]] |
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File:Hummingbird.jpg|[[Costa's Hummingbird]] |
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File:L30greenviolet.JPG|[[Green Violet-ear]] |
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File:Selasphorus rufus on Saltspring Island.jpg|[[Rufous Hummingbird]] |
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File:Hummingbirds cluster-feeding.jpg|Feeding hummingbirds |
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File:Hummingbirds fighting.jpg|Males fighting |
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File:Hummingbird Calypte anna in ggp 15n.jpg|''Calypte anna'' perched |
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File:Hummingbird in ggp 23.JPG|[[Personal grooming|Grooming]] |
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File:Hummingbird is attacking a much bigger bird.jpg|Hummingbird attacking larger [[Song Sparrow]] |
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File:Hummingbird and a hiney bee.jpg|Hummingbird and [[honey bee]] sizes compared |
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File:Chlorostilbon portmanni, Gould.jpg|[[Short-tailed Emerald]], painting by [[John Gould]] |
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File:2008-1227 k10 Hummingbird.JPG|Hummingbird feeding in winter |
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File:HummingBirdHookNest.JPG|Hummingbird nesting on a rubber-covered hook |
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File:Nano Hummingbird.jpg|[[AeroVironment Nano Hummingbird|Artificial hummingbird]] |
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</gallery> |
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==See also== |
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* [[AeroVironment Nano Hummingbird]] — Artificial hummingbird |
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* [[Macroglossum stellatarum]] — Hummingbird Hawk-moth |
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* ''[[Hemaris]]'' — Sphinx moths (hummingbird moths) confused with hummingbirds |
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* [[Violetear]] — hummingbirds of the genus Colibri, or Kolibri (word for hummingbird in numerous languages) |
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==References== |
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{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}} |
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{{wikiquote|Hummingbirds}} |
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{{Commons|Trochilidae}} |
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{{wiktionary}} |
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*[http://www.birdphotos.com/photos/index.php?q=gallery&g2_itemId=2182 High-resolution photo gallery of almost 100 species.] |
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*[http://www.michaeldanielho.com/mdh-5g.html High-resolution photo gallery of many species of Hummingbirds.] |
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*[http://ibc.lynxeds.com/family/hummingbirds-trochilidae Hummingbird videos] on the Internet Bird Collection |
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*[http://www.wyllz.com Photographs of SouthWest U.S. Hummingbirds and International Hummingbirds] |
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*[http://cubits.org/hummingbirdgardening/db/hummingbirdplants/index.php Hummingbird Plants Database] |
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*[http://www.hbrcnet.org Hummingbird Banding Research] |
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{{Birds}} |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Hummingbird}} |
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[[Category:Hummingbirds| ]] |
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[[Category:National symbols of Trinidad and Tobago]] |
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[[Category:Natural history of the Americas]] |
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[[Category:Pollinators]] |
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[[Category:Trochilidae| ]] |
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[[Category:Trochiliformes|*]] |
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[[Category:Western North American migratory birds]] |
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{{Link GA|fr}} |
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[[ar:طنان]] |
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[[gn:Mainumby]] |
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[[ay:Luli]] |
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[[az:Kolibrilər]] |
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[[bs:Kolibri]] |
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[[br:Trochilidae]] |
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[[bg:Колибриподобни]] |
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[[ca:Colibrí]] |
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[[cs:Kolibříkovití]] |
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[[da:Kolibrier]] |
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[[de:Kolibris]] |
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[[nv:Dahiitį́hii]] |
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[[et:Koolibrilased]] |
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[[es:Trochilidae]] |
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[[eo:Kolibro]] |
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[[eu:Kolibri]] |
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[[fa:مگسمرغ]] |
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[[fr:Trochilidae]] |
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[[fy:Kolibrys]] |
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[[ga:Dordéan]] |
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[[ko:벌새]] |
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[[hr:Kolibri]] |
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[[io:Kolibrio]] |
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[[id:Kolibri]] |
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[[is:Kólibrífugl]] |
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[[it:Trochilidae]] |
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[[he:קוליבריים]] |
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[[jv:Kolibri]] |
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[[ka:კოლიბრები]] |
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[[csb:Kòlibrë]] |
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[[kk:Колибри]] |
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[[sw:Kolibri]] |
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[[ht:Zwazo mouch]] |
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[[lt:Kolibriniai]] |
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[[hu:Kolibrifélék]] |
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[[mn:Эрээн дальт бяцхан шувуу]] |
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[[nah:Huitzilli]] |
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[[nl:Kolibries]] |
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[[ja:ハチドリ]] |
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[[no:Kolibrier]] |
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[[nn:Kolibriar]] |
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[[pnb:پدی چڑی]] |
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[[pl:Kolibry]] |
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[[pt:Beija-flor]] |
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[[ro:Colibri]] |
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[[qu:Q'inti]] |
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[[ru:Колибри]] |
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[[simple:Hummingbird]] |
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[[sk:Kolibríkovité]] |
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[[sl:Kolibriji]] |
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[[sr:Колибри]] |
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[[sh:Kolibri]] |
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[[fi:Kolibrit]] |
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[[sv:Kolibrier]] |
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[[tl:Trochilidae]] |
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[[ta:ஓசனிச்சிட்டு]] |
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[[chr:ᏩᎴᎳ]] |
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[[tr:Sinek kuşu]] |
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[[uk:Колібрі]] |
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[[vi:Họ Chim ruồi]] |
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[[zh:蜂鸟]] |
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