Hummingbird

Hummingbirds are special birds found only in the Americas. They belong to a group called Trochilidae and there are about 375 different kinds, or species, of them. Most live in Central and South America, but you can find them as far north as Alaska and as far south as Tierra del Fuego.

Hummingbirds are very small—the smallest ones are just about as big as a person's hand! The tiniest hummingbird is called the bee hummingbird. They have long beaks and love to drink sweet liquid called nectar from flowers, but they also eat tiny bugs.

What makes hummingbirds special is how they fly. Their wings move very fast, making a buzzing sound that gives them their name. They can hover in one spot, like a helicopter, and move very quickly in any direction. Some hummingbirds can even fly backwards! Because they use so much energy, they need to eat often.

One kind of hummingbird, the rufous hummingbird, travels very far—almost 4,000 miles each way between Alaska and Mexico twice every year! Hummingbirds have been around for a very long time.

Description

Hummingbirds are the smallest birds in the world. They are related to avian theropod dinosaurs. Many have shiny, colorful feathers, especially the males. They have fun names like sun gem, fairy, woodstar, sapphire, or sylph.

Hummingbirds come in different sizes. The tiniest one, the bee hummingbird, is only about 6 centimeters long. The largest is the giant hummingbird, which can have a wingspan of 21.5 centimeters. They have long, thin beaks and wings that let them fly up, down, and even backwards like a helicopter. Their wings move very fast to make the humming sound.

Hummingbirds build tiny cup-shaped nests using spider webs, lichens, and plant fibers. They usually lay two very small white eggs. The babies, called nestlings, leave the nest after about three weeks and start learning to fly.

Some hummingbird species are losing numbers because of things like losing their homes and changes in weather. Some species, like Anna's hummingbirds, are doing well and have moved to colder areas.

Range

See also: List of Apodiformes by population

Hummingbirds live in the Americas, from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego. Most are found in warm, tropical areas of Central and South America, but some live in cooler places and high mountains.

Countries like Colombia and Ecuador have many kinds of hummingbirds, while places such as the United States, Canada, and Chile have fewer. The most hummingbird species live in the forests of the northern Andes mountains.

Taxonomy and systematics

Further information: List of hummingbird species

Hummingbirds are birds in a family called Trochilidae. This family name was created in 1825. Usually, they are grouped with swifts in the order Apodiformes, but some scientists think they should be in their own order called Trochiliformes.

Hummingbirds have thin, delicate wing bones, which makes it difficult to study their past using fossils. Most species live in Central and South America, and there are about 375 known species. They are split into two main groups: hermits and typical hummingbirds. Recent research shows that hermits are closely related to topazes and jacobins.

Scientists have found hummingbird fossils in places like Brazil and the Bahamas that are very old. In 2004, two ancient fossils were found in Germany, proving that hummingbirds once lived in Europe. These fossils were found in a museum and were identified as hummingbirds later. Fossils from 35 to 40 million years ago have also been found in Germany and the Caucasus, indicating that hummingbirds and related birds separated around that time. Scientists are still discovering how hummingbirds moved and changed from Europe to the Americas over many millions of years.

Evolution

Hummingbirds separated from other birds, like swifts and treeswifts, about 42 million years ago, likely in Eurasia. Even though they are now found in the Americas, the earliest hummingbirds lived in Europe during the early Oligocene period, around 34 to 28 million years ago.

Modern hummingbirds originated in South America, with their last common ancestor living around 22 million years ago. Hummingbirds quickly diversified from this point. They evolved into nine main groups, including topazes, hermits, mangoes, brilliants, coquettes, mountaingems, bees, and emeralds. These birds developed special relationships with flowering plants, which helped them spread to new areas. Their unique shapes and behaviors often match the flowers they visit, helping both the birds and plants survive.

The Andes Mountains provided a rich environment for hummingbird evolution, with many new species appearing as the mountains rose over the past 10 million years. Hummingbirds continue to diversify across South America, North America, and the Caribbean. They have a special connection with plants that produce nectar, evolving together over millions of years. Some hummingbirds, like the sword-billed hummingbird, have very long, curved beaks that match the shape of certain flowers.

Hummingbirds and the flowers they visit share a close relationship. While feeding on nectar, hummingbirds help pollinate the flowers. They prefer bright red, yellow, or purple flowers without scent or landing platforms, and with long tubes filled with sweet nectar. These flowers are less attractive to insects, which helps protect the nectar for the birds. Hummingbirds can see certain colors that insects cannot, further helping them find the right flowers.

Sexual dimorphisms

Hummingbirds look different depending on if they are male or female. In small species, males are often smaller than females. In bigger species, males can be larger. Females usually have longer, curved bills to help them get nectar from tall flowers. These differences help males save energy for flying and females get enough food.

Hummingbirds also have bright and beautiful feather colors, especially males. These colors come from special cells in their feathers and can change with the light and the bird's position. The protein they eat can also affect how colorful their feathers are.

Specialized characteristics and metabolism

Hummingbirds are named for the loud, pleasant sound their wings make when they fly or hover. This sound helps them talk to each other and find friends or mates. Their wings move very fast, creating this special sound.

Hummingbirds can see very well, even in the dark, and can find tiny insects or flowers from far away. Their eyes are special and help them see clearly while they fly quickly.

Hummingbirds eat a lot of sugary food, like from flowers, to get energy for their fast flying. They can use this sugar right away to keep flying, even for long trips. Their bodies are built to use this sugar very efficiently.

When it gets cold or they can't find food, hummingbirds can slow down their bodies almost to sleep. This helps them save energy until they can eat again. Some hummingbirds can live for many years if they stay healthy.

Natural enemies

Hummingbirds have a few natural enemies. Domestic cats are often one of the biggest threats to hummingbirds when they are not nested. Other animals like praying mantises, dragonflies, frogs, spiders, small birds such as Sharp-shinned Hawk and American Kestrel, snakes, and roadrunners can also hunt hummingbirds.

Hummingbirds can also carry tiny parasites called lice. Some special types of lice, called Ricinid lice, are often found on them. Another type of lice, called Menoponid lice, is less common on hummingbirds.

Reproduction

Male hummingbirds do not help with building nests or caring for the young. Most species build a small, cup-shaped nest on a tree or shrub branch. These nests can be very small, about the size of half a walnut shell.

Hummingbirds use spider silk and lichen to hold the nest together. They lay two white eggs, which are the smallest of all bird eggs. The eggs take between 14 to 23 days to hatch. The mother feeds her babies a mix of tiny insects and nectar. The young hummingbirds stay in the nest for about 18 to 22 days before leaving to find food on their own.

walnut
Incubation
arthropods
nestling
crop

Flight

Hummingbirds can fly in amazing ways. Scientists study this using tools like video cameras. When they fly, their wings move in a figure-8 pattern. The birds use most of their strength on the downstroke to stay in the air.

Earlier ideas thought hummingbirds used equal strength on both strokes, like some insects. But new studies show this isn't true. Hummingbirds have special wings and muscles made for flying. Some can beat their wings as fast as 80 times per second! When it rains, they shake their heads and bodies to dry off, and they change how they fly to stay steady.

Wingbeats and flight stability

The fastest wingbeats recorded are over 99 beats per second! During special dances to show off, some hummingbirds can beat their wings even faster. Even when the air is windy, hummingbirds can stay steady by changing how they move their wings and using their tail feathers like a fan. Their excellent vision helps them stay in place even when everything around them is moving.

Feather sounds

Courtship dives

Male Anna's hummingbirds fly high above a female and then dive down very fast. This makes a high-pitched sound as they get close to the female. This dive is one of the fastest movements known in any animal.

The outer tail feathers of some male hummingbirds vibrate during these dives, making a chirping sound. This sound happens when air moves past the feathers. Hummingbirds need these feathers to make this special sound during courtship.

Many other hummingbird species also make sounds with their wings or tails while flying, hovering, or diving.

Wing feather trill

Some male hummingbirds, like rufous and broad-tailed hummingbirds, have a special feature on their wings that makes a jingling or buzzing sound during flight. This sound comes from air moving through their wing feathers.

This trill helps tell other hummingbirds that they are male, defend their feeding areas, show they are a threat, and attract mates.

Migration

Only a few types of hummingbirds migrate. Out of about 375 kinds, just 12 to 15 fly each year, mostly in North America. Most hummingbirds live in the tropical rainforests of Amazonia and Central America, where the weather and food stay the same, so they don’t need to travel far.

Some hummingbirds in South America, like the southern giant hummingbird and northern giant hummingbird, fly long distances between low areas and very high mountains. They move between Chile and Ecuador, covering over 8,335 kilometers (5,179 miles).

In North America, many hummingbirds fly south in the fall to spend winter in Mexico, the Caribbean Islands, or Central America. A few stay year-round in places like Florida, California, and the southwestern deserts of the US. The rufous hummingbird travels the farthest, flying from Alaska to Mexico and back, covering thousands of miles. This tiny bird makes one of the longest journeys of any bird in the world.

Feeding

Hummingbirds mainly eat nectar from flowers. This gives them energy. They have long beaks and tongues to reach the nectar inside flowers. Their intestines can absorb the sugars from nectar quickly.

Besides nectar, hummingbirds also eat tiny insects and spiders. This helps them get extra nutrients. They catch insects while flying or from spider webs. Insects are important for the birds' health.

Hummingbirds visit many flowers each day. They like colorful flowers, especially red ones, that open during the day. Some flowers have shapes that only certain hummingbirds can feed from.

When people put out special feeders with sugar water, hummingbirds will visit them. This helps people watch the birds up close. It's best to use simple sugar water without extra ingredients for the feeders.

Hummingbirds have excellent vision and can see colors well. This helps them find flowers and feeders. They also use landmarks to remember where the best food spots are.

In myth and culture

People have liked hummingbirds for a long time. The Aztecs made special items shaped like hummingbirds from their parts. They believed the god of war, Huitzilopochtli, looked like a hummingbird. They thought warriors who died in battle would come back as these birds.

One of the famous Nazca Lines shows a hummingbird. Trinidad and Tobago calls itself "The land of the hummingbird" and has the bird on its coat of arms, coins, and airline. There is a mountain in Northern California named after these birds. A well-known guitar model, the Gibson Hummingbird, looks like a hummingbird.

In 2016, a contestant from Ecuador wore a costume that looked like hummingbird feathers.