Month: August 2010

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Hummingbird Videos Hummingbirds

Black-Chinned Hummingbird Grooming

Even a hummingbird has the need to groom itself. It is likely that few of you have actually witnessed this event firsthand, so you many wonder how the hummingbird does so. This video shows a Black-chinned Hummingbird actually grooming itself and in addition I have explained a bit about how a hummingbird accomplishes the task of grooming itself.

The hummingbird’s bill and claws are the tools it uses to groom its self. The hummingbird will clean itself by using the oil from a gland near their tail. The hummingbird will groom all parts of its body. Here is how the bird does so.

When the hummingbird wants to groom its head and neck, the bird will do so by using its front three claws like a comb. When a hummingbird wishes to groom their beak or neck, the hummingbird will do so by rubbing them against a twig.

Categories
Hummingbirds

From Torpor to Active State

At night hummingbirds must enter the state of torpor, which is a state similar to hibernation or a sleep-like state to ensure that they do not starve to death before dawn. I was recently asked about the length of time it takes a hummingbird to go from a state of torpor to an active state. This is what prompted today’s post.

It can can take as long as an hour for a hummingbird to awaken from a state of torpor and return to an active state. This can also happen more quickly depending on how deep the bird’s state of torpor. In that sense, hummingbirds seem to be a lot like humans because not all of us awaken as quickly as others do.

Torpor allows a hummingbird to conserve energy. In this state the hummingbird’s body temperature may drop by as much as 50 degrees, its heart rate can decrease from 500 beats per minute to less than 50 beats per minute and the bird may even stop breathing for brief period of time. While in a state of torpor, a hummingbird can use as much as 50 times less energy then when in an active state.

The ability to enter a state of torpor is vital to the hummingbird because it ensures that the hummingbird does not literally starve to death before dawn. There is however one risk to a hummingbird in this state and that is the bird’s inability to respond to emergencies while in this state.

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Dear Mom Hummingbirds

Hummingbirds By the Numbers

There are approximately 340 different species of hummingbirds in the world, yet hummingbirds make up only a small portion of the world’s total number of nearly 10,000 different bird species.

Of the approximately 340 different hummingbird species, there are only 8 species which are known to breed in the United States.

I majored in accounting in college, so numbers have always interested me. As a result, I find statistical data on hummingbirds to be quite fascinating because I can compare it to other species of birds and see where the hummingbird ranks compared to other species of birds.

Categories
Hummingbird Food

Trumpet Vine Attracts Hummingbirds

A good nectar source is very important. Many people who are avid gardeners or even those of you who just think hummingbird feeder maintenance requires too much work or is just too time consuming, may wish to provide the hummingbirds a source of nectar through the use of live plants. The reason for this is that the use of live plants requires far less maintenance than a hanging feeder.

The Trumpet Vine, or Trumpet Creeper is one such vine that many people use to attract the hummingbirds to their yard. It is a vine with reddish orange trumpet-shaped blooms all summer long. A word of caution here, Trumpet Vine will take over an area quickly. This vine should be planted away from the house and on a very sturdy trellis or arbor where its beauty can be enjoyed without it taking over the landscape of your yard. This vine will need to be pruned regularly.

Through the use of this vine, you will be adding some beauty and color to your yard, as well as providing a natural source of nectar to the hummingbirds. Yes, this will require some effort to maintain but not as much or as frequently as a hummingbird feeder. If you are a gardener or just someone who wants to attract hummingbirds through the use of a natural nectar source, why not consider the Trumpet Vine or Trumpet Creeper? If you are not sure this vine will grow where you live, please consult a local plant nursery where you live for further information.

Categories
Hummingbird Pictures Hummingbirds

Andean Hillstar Hummingbird

Andean Hillstar Hummingbird sitting on a tree branch.
Andean Hillstar Hummingbird sitting on a tree branch.

The Andean Hillstar Hummingbird is found mainly in the high altitude tropical grasslands of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, and Peru.

The species is generally well adapted to cold nights in the Andes, which it survives by going into a state of torpor and thus reducing its metabolic rate to something like that of hibernation.

Some of the information for this post as well as the photo comes from the website How To Enjoy Hummingbirds. Additional information comes from Wikipedia.