Month: March 2009

Categories
Hummingbirds

Texas’ Birdwatching Offers Diversity

According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, the state of Texas has the greatest number of bird species found here over any other state.  Texas and Arizona each have an equally diverse hummingbird population.  So, what explains the diversity of our states bird population?  This can be explained by a wide variety of factors including the diverse habitat found throughout the state, our geography, and our location.

All this is very good news for the hummingbird enthusiast.  No matter where you live within the state, every individual will have the opportunity to enjoy at least two species of hummingbirds within their own county.  Some regions of the state will have 16 different species of hummingbirds found there.

Spring is when you will have the greatest opportunity to view the vast majority of these hummingbird species, but there are a few hummingbird species which are known to spend the winter in Texas.  The most common to do this are the Rufous and the Black-chinned hummingbirds.  It is rare but you will also occasionally find Allen’s, Anna’s, Calliope, Costa’s, Broad-tailed and Buff-bellied hummingbirds.

Categories
Hummingbird Pictures

Blue-tailed Hummingbird

blue_tailed_hummingbird.jpg

The Blue-tailed hummingbird is found in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua.  This is a photo that I found while searching on the Internet.  Since this isn’t a species of hummingbird that many of us will ever be fortunate enough to view for ourselves I thought I share this photo with you. I hope you enjoy seeing it as much as I myself did.

Categories
Hummingbird Videos

Jaun Fernandez Firecrown Hummingbird

The Jaun Fernandez Firecrown Hummingbird is a critically endangered species of hummingbird.  This video explains where the bird can be found, why it is on the verge of extenction, and what is being done to try and save this species of hummingbird before it is lost forever.   

Categories
Dear Mom

How Much Do Hummingbirds Fly?

A hummingbird actually spends very little time in flight.  Just how much time this bird spends in flight may surprise you.  The hummingbird only spends 20 percent of its time in flight!  That’s correct, I said 20 percent of the hummingbirds time is spent in flight and the other 80 percent is spent perching.  That would certainly seem to dispel the common belief that these birds are always in motion.  Even knowing this fact does little to help us catch a glimpse of these beautiful birds or to help us capture a photo of one either.  Oh well, all any of us can do is keep trying until we finally accomplish it!

This post makes me think of my mom, because she was always interested in making new discoveries about hummingbirds.  I truly believe that the small amount of time which hummingbirds spend in fight would have come as a shock to her.  I hope you too have enjoyed making this discovery about hummingbirds.

Categories
Hummingbirds

Hummingbird Feathers

Even though the hummingbird is extremely small in size, they have the most feathers per square inch of any other bird.  An average size hummingbird has approximately 940 feathers.  Hummingbirds have no down feathers and thus loose body heat quite rapidly.  The nornal body temperature of a hummingbird is 105 degrees, but at night when in a state of torpor it can drop to approximately 66.2 degrees.  Hummingbird feathers are iridescent and therefore require sunlight to show color.