Category: Hummingbirds

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Dear Mom Hummingbirds

An Unusual Danger to Hummingbirds

It is amazing the things that one can discover while doing research on the subject of hummingbirds. The topic of today’s post is certainly no different. While recently researching a wide variety of topics about hummingbirds, I discovered that a plant known as Common Burdock can be seen as an danger to hummingbirds. This discovery was not only surprising but also fascinating to me, as I am sure it would have been to my mother as well, so I decided to share this information with you my readers as well. This post will discuss what I uncovered about this fascinating topic.

Yes, it is true that hummingbirds are very dependent on a wide variety of plants as a valuable source of nectar and this post is not intended to dispute this but to point out that the Common Burdock is a plant which has the potential to cause harm to the hummingbird.

According to Mr. Bill Hilton of Operation Ruby Throat: The Hummingbird Project, hummingbirds have become impaled on cactus spines and also trapped due to sticky tree sap. Also, the seed pods of the Common Burdock have been well documented as a hazard of the hummingbird. The pods are known as “cockleburs” which are covered by tiny hooks that can attach to the fur or pant legs of potential seed disseminators. Due to the hummingbird’s tiny size the bird can become sired by the hooks of the “cockleburs” when they come to feed on a purple burdock flower.

I am not claiming that the Common Burdock is grave hazard to a hummingbird, just pointing out that it is a highly unusual one. I find it very interesting to know that a plant can be a hazard to a hummingbird and I wanted to share this will my readers.

On a positive note, it is possible for a hummingbird to be rescued if this occurs, but the bird has to be found in time and the person who finds the bird must know how to help the bird without causing it harm. Operation Ruby Throat: The Hummingbird Project was successfully able to rescue a female Ruby Throat found in West Virginia by cutting the hooks away from its legs and then banding the bird prior to setting the bird free once more.

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Dear Mom Hummingbirds

The Rapid Nature of a Hummingbird’s Wings

The beat of a hummingbird’s wing is undetectable to the human eye, because it occurs at such a rapid rate that it is appears to be nothing but a blur. The rapid nature of the hummingbird’s wing beats is what gives the hummingbird its name due to the humming sound that the wings make as they beat. The exact rate at which this occurs will depend on the direction of flight and air conditions, but the normal rate at which this occurs is between 50 and 200 beats per second.

Do you find that as astonishing as I do? It is this kind of information that never ceases to amaze and fascinate me. This is also the kind of unique information that my mom would have enjoyed discovering about hummingbirds. Since she is no longer living, I will take this opportunity to share it with all the readers of this blog.

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Hummingbirds

Lucifer Hummingbird: Mating and Reproduction

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Today’s post will provide you with some interesting information about the mating and reproduction of the Lucifer Hummingbird. Enjoy this information everyone.

The male Lucifer Hummingbird does a display by performing a mating dance at the nest. The display is done in order to entice the female to mate.

Most mating displays of the Lucifer Hummingbird will occur during nest building and when the female is laying the eggs.

Here is a brief description of the Lucifer Hummingbirds courtship display. During the display the male will fly back and forth between two perches, a vertical flight followed by a powerful spiraling dive towards the female, ending with erratic lateral flight.

According to Jennifer Roof, the actual act of mating of the Lucifer Hummingbird has yet to be observed. The breeding season for the Lucifer Hummingbird is known to last from April to August.

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Dear Mom Hummingbirds

Male Ruby-throated Hummingbird: More Red Feathers As It Ages?

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It always amazes me how various misinformation or myths about hummingbirds get started and just will not go away. Today’s post was inspired by one such piece of misinformation and my desire to help try to set the record strait.

In spite of the fact the fact that may people believe otherwise, the male Ruby-throated Hummingbirds do not gradually grow in a greater number of red throat feathers as they age. This is false! The male Ruby-throated Hummingbird will molt just like other birds.

Here is a brief explanation of the term molt and why it is necessary. The process of molting is when a bird will loose their feathers a few at a time. This will occur symmetrically or one from each side in order not to affect flight. How long the process takes to complete varies from weeks or months depending on the time of year it is occurring and the species of bird. This process would not be noticeable to the casual birdwatcher.

Hummingbirds will begin to molt between September and November. It will then take several weeks for each feather to regain its size and shape.

Why is molting necessary? Molting allows the bird to replace their worn out feathers with new ones. Feathers are vitally important to the bird. The feathers help provide weather protection for the bird and in some bird species (not hummingbirds) the molting process can even help the birds attract a mate.

It is possible for some immature males have a few scattered red throat feathers in late summer or early fall, but the their full red gorget is not grown in until they are ready to migrate northward from their Central American breeding grounds. Maybe this fact explains why many people mistakenly believe that male Ruby-throated Hummingbirds grow in a greater number of red throat feathers as they grow older.

This post brings to mind my mom, who I am quite sure would be very interested in the topic of today’s post and who would likely be surprised by the answer as well. It is my hope that you too will be fascinated by the subject of today’s post as well.

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Hummingbirds

Why Hummingbirds Fly Alone

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When a hummingbird migrates it will fly the same flight path or flight zone repeatedly. A hummingbird will follow the same flight path or flight zone they did the first time the journey was made. This post will help you discover why hummingbirds travel alone on their migration journey rather then as part of a group.

There are various reasons why hummingbirds make the migration journey alone. The small size of the hummingbird makes it more difficult for most predators to spot them and the same could not be said if these birds traveled as a group rather then alone. Even along the way of their migration journey, hummingbirds need to stop and feed regularly at a flower or hummingbird feeder. If the journey was not made alone, the birds would be fighting over the food source. During hummingbird flight, the birds do not have enough body mass to cause a wake in the air currents to aid the other birds.