Hummingbirds are fun birds to watch. Attracting them to your yard can be enjoyable and relaxing. Here’s some information on our little backyard friends.
Hummingbirds are like little trick flyers.. not only do they hover in mid-air, they can also fly backwards, sideways and yes, even upside-down. This is thanks the ability to rotate their wings in a full circle. Their little wings beating about 60-80 times per second and up to 200 times per second when taking a courtship dive. They are pretty quick too with an average speed of 25-30 miles per hour. Clock them in a dive … they are able to reach 60 miles per hour!
They get their name from the humming sound their wings make when flying. When sitting near a feeder or flowers, you’ll near the little hum when they come visiting. Other names they are known by in other parts of the world are flying jewels, flower nibbler, flower kisser, flower sucker, and my favorite, the hummer. They aren’t great singers, but rather make a little chirping sound. They vocalize when they get excited or to attract a mate.
Photo by Travelin’ John
Hummingbirds are found only in North and South America. They are found as far north as southeastern Alaska and as far south as southern Chile. The largest variety of hummingbirds is found in South America with more than half the hummingbird species located there. With more than 300 types or species of hummingbirds, Ecuador in northwestern South America has the largest number at a 163. Over fifty hummingbird species breed in Mexico regularly. More than fifteen species breed in the United States with the ruby-throated being the only one to breed east of the Mississippi River.
Hummingbird species found in the United States:
– Allen’s Selasphorus sasin
– Anna’s Calypte anna
– berylline Amazilia beryllina
– black-chinned Archilochus alexandri
– blue-throated Lampornis clemenciae
– broad-billed Cynanthus latirostris
– broad-tailed Selasphorus platycercus
– buff-bellied Amazilia yucatenensis
– calliope Stellula calliope
– Costa’s Calypte costae
– lucifer Calothorax lucifer
– magnificant (Rivoli) Eugenes fulgens
– ruby-throated Archilochus colubris
– rufous Selasphorus rufus
– violet-crowned Amazilia violiceps
– white-eared Hylocharis leucotis
They do not mate for life and the female tends to the nest building and baby bird care. The babies weight about that of a penny. Their life-span is relatively short. Most hummingbirds will die during their first year. But on average live 3-5 years. There have been documented banded hummers having lived twelve-plus years, over 6 years for a ruby throated and a rufous hummingbird having lived over eight years.
For concerned hummingbird nest watchers, here’s a good article on how the mother takes care of her young and how we don’t need to intervene. I’d write a better synopsis here, but really, just go read how to “Rescue” baby hummingbirds (or not to rescue).
Hummingbirds are said to be very territorial however, it isn’t uncommon to see a couple or even several hummers at a feeder at one time.
While a hummingbird has no sense of smell, it makes up for that missing sense by having better hearing than humans as well as being able to see farther. They are even able to see ultraviolet light. It’s brain is about 4.2% of it’s body weight, the largest percentage of all birds. Their heart makes up 2.5% of their body weight. While at rest their little heart goes around 250 beats per minute but can go up to 1250 a minute.
Hummingbirds have a metabolism about 100 times that of an elephant – the highest of any animal on earth. They need to eat often and eat half up to three times their body weight a day. They eat up to eight times every hour for up to a minute or so at a time. So much eating, they sure make their rounds too… They’ll visit an average of 1,000 flowers each day to get the nectar they need for fuel to catch the small bugs they use for protein.
They are smart little birds (the tiniest in the world!) able to remember every flower they visit and even how long it takes for a flowers nectar to refill.
They lap the nectar up with their “W” shaped tongue (rather than sucking it like a straw) which has little hairs on the tip to help catch it. It’s not just their wings and heart that move fast, their little tongues lap up nectar at a rate of about 13 licks per second.. wow!
And lucky for us (and for hummers) they don’t get “addicted” to nectar from feeders. If your feeder is dirty and you don’t put it up for a few days, your little visitors won’t starve – though they will remember your inconsistency. And they won’t stick around when it’s time to make their leave back home (if they migrated), just for nectar. Of course, the more consistent you are with feeding them, the more regularly they’ll visit and the more visitors you’ll have. So keep your feeders clean with fresh nectar, but don’t worry with it’s time for them to go home.
Hummers can be added to the list of pollinators, as they make easy work of pollinating flowers when their foreheads and little faces rub each flower while they get the nectar.
When hummingbirds sleep, their bodies conserve energy naturally by going into a state of mental and motor inactivity, similar to hibernation, known as torpor. This can conserve up to 60% of a hummers natural energy. Their heart rate can drop to as little as 50 beats per minute and temperature as low as 30 degrees Fahrenheit. Understandably, torpor can be fatal for a weak hummingbird. Under normal circumstances, they can appear dead, even being found hanging upside-down… it can take a hummingbird up to an hour to recover from torpor fully,but usually only takes a few minutes to raise their metabolism and temperature back to normal.
When planting flowers in your yard, or patio plants, be sure to plant a few (or several) to attract the hummingbirds. Contrary to popular belief, they aren’t *only* attracted to red flowers, though that is probably their favorite color. There are many sizes, shapes and colors which attract hummingbirds. Choose your flowers wisely and you’ll have blooming flowers to attract the hummingbirds all season long with your own little hummingbird paradise.
In your bird watching, if you find a banded hummer, report the band number to this number: 1-800-327-BAND.
If you have more information about these fun little birds, a story of you own or pictures you’d like to share, feel free to comment or send me a message.