Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Tagged: animal, animals, bird, cat, insect( image )
The Ruby throated Hummingbird is a migratory species that breeds in central and eastern USA and southern Canada, and flies south to spend the winner in warmer habitats in Mexico and Central America. Its minutes size (no bigger than a large insect), spirited temperament and acrobatic flying abilities set the ruby-throated hummingbird apart from other birds. It manoeuvres at incredible speed, darting, hovering and changing direction, even flying backwards, in a tiny, green blur. Perhaps its most remarkable feat, however, is its annual winter migration from northeastern North Amerca as far south as cCentral America, when it flies non-stop for 20 hours across the Gulf of Mexico.
Female in Charge
The female chooses a nesting site located at the end of a twig, high above ground and away from predators. She also builds the cup-shapped nest, which is 2-3 cm across and made from plant down, fibres and spider webs, comouflaged with lichen. Two pea-sized, white eggs are laid in each clutch and the young hatch after two weeks. The female cares for the young on her own, feeding them by inserting her bill deep into their throats and regurgitating a mixture of insects and nectar (called slurry). The nestlings double in weight at day three, and again at days five and eight, leaving the nest after three weeks.
Part of bodies
- Tiny feet are almost useless except for perching. The bird lifts itself from perches without pushing off, rising entirely on wing power.
- Male has a glowing, fiery red throat, and iridescent green back and a fork tail. The female lacks the males vivid colouring
- Bill is long, straight and slender as a darning needle. It protects the birds long, brush-tipped tongue, which it uses to lap up nectar
- Flight muscles make up about 25% of the birds body weight. Unlike other birds, hummingbirds have flight power on the up-stroke as well as the down-stroke
Statistics
- status – common
- length – 9 cm
- wingspan – 10-12 cm
- weight – 3 g
- migration – seasonal migrant
- plumage – sexes differ
- sexual maturity – 1 year
- breeding season – March through July, but mainly May to June
- incubation period – 14-16 days
- number of eggs – 2
- breeding interval – usually 2 broods per years
- diet – Nectar, small insects and spiders
- lifespan – most die in their first years; otherwise they live for 3 years on everage
Myth or fact
On cold nights, hummingbirds lower their body temperature to conserve energy(a process called torpor). The next morning their mrtabolism speeds up again, bringing their body temperature back to normal within a few minutes. Among the people of the Andes, the hummingbirds ability to come back to life after seeming to die has made it a potent symbol of Christs resurrection.
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