Month: October 2010

Categories
Hummingbirds

The Hummingbird’s Amazing Metabolism

Yes, hummingbirds do indeed have a very high metabolic rate, but nevertheless hummingbirds do not eat until they are full at every opportunity. During daylight hours, the hummingbird will eat frequently for short periods of time. A hummingbird will feed 5-8 per hour with each one only lasting about 30 seconds in length. At night, the hummingbird will eat as heavily as the nectar supply will allow. The hummingbird may store a third of its weight in nectar to ensure that it will survive its overnight fast while maintaining its normal resting metabolic rate.

It is important to keep in mind that a hummingbird can starve to death in as little as two hours. This is why it must store so much of its weight in nectar to ensure it will survive the night.

Categories
Hummingbird Food

How Much Nectar Do Hummingbirds Need?

Just how much nectar does a hummingbird require each day? Unfortunately, there is no exact or set amount. All that can be stated with certainty is that a hummingbird will require one and a half times its body weight in nectar each day to fulfill its daily energy requirements. The exact amount of nectar that a hummingbird will need to consume on any given day will very depend on many different factors. This includes the bird’s activity level, the current air temperature, the quality of available resources, and the time of year.

With this in mind, you can see why having plenty of natural food sources as well as hummingbird feeders in your yard is important. The hummingbirds will thank you for having provided such dependable sources of food and you will be able to enjoy the antics and aerial displays put on by the hummingbirds.

Categories
Dear Mom Hummingbirds

Female Hummingbird Reproductive Facts

Have you ever wanted to know anything about the reproductive system of the female hummingbird? If so then this post is just what you have been searching for and will provide you with many of the answers you seek.

Fist off, the reproductive system of the female hummingbird is called the female gonad. Because a hummingbird is so very tiny and therefore must be as light as possible for flight, these organs shrink during non-breeding months. At birth, female hummingbirds have two ovaries, but soon after birth the right ovary will disappear thus serving to lighten hummingbird’s overall body weight. The left ovary is unaffected and thus remains fully functional.

This post brings to mind thoughts of my mom. These are the type of unusual facts or information that mom would have so enjoyed discovering. I hope that the same can be said of all of those who visit this blog.

Categories
Hummingbird Feeders Hummingbird Videos

Top Fill Hummingbird Feeder-Instructional Video

If you are looking for a top fill hummingbird feeder, then this may be just what you are looking for. Perky-Pet®’s has come out with a brand new top fill hummingbird Feeder, available at http://www.perkypet.com, is easy to fill and clean. It features an easy to fill wide mouth top and an advanced “sports bottle” like function to facilitate replenishing the nectar.

This easy to understand instructional video walks you through the easy steps for refilling the feeder’s nectar and cleaning the feeder. This hummingbird feeder may be cleaned with the Perky-Pet® cleaning mop. Feeders should be cleaned every 3-5 days, or more often in extremely warm climates.

I am not receiving any financial compensation for placing this video on the site or for telling you about the product. As a hummingbird enthusiast myself, I am always on the lookout for new products and thought others might also benefit from knowing what is new on the market today.

Categories
Hummingbird Food

Amount of Nectar vs. Smell

While it is true that both hummingbirds and butterflies like many of the same flowers, if your goal is specifically to attract hummingbirds to your yard, it is extremely important to know that hummingbirds have no sense of smell. This fact will have a great impact on the specific flowers you would choose to place in your yard.

A hummingbird is far more interested in the amount of nectar a flower will produce rather then the scent of the flower. A good choice for a hummingbird garden would be Hibiscus, which has large, open tubular shaped flowers and because it provides an abundant amount of nectar. The “Turk’s cap”, a close relative of the Hibiscus, is another popular hummingbird attractant because of its red cup like flowers.
The color red is known to help attract hummingbirds. The reason for this may be that the red is far easier to the hummingbird to see at a far off distance or that the hummingbird is able to see into the ultra violet range. Also, it is believed that red flowers tend to contain more nectar than other types of flowers, as do tubular shaped flowers.

This not to imply that all the flowers found in your hummingbird must be red. Far from it, hummingbirds like flowers of almost any color including pink, orange, yellow, purple and so many more. Any of the following suggestions would please the hummingbirds: impatiens, yellow bells, shrimp plants, and begonias are just a few flower bearing plants. Just keep in mind that the hummingbirds have no sense of smell and therefore desire plants that produce large amounts of nectar.