TINY AND MIGHTY

The eyes have it

Populations

Feeders are fine

Long tongues

Nesting /Southern California News Group

There are over 350 different species of hummingbirds across the Americas. Their little bodies have big appetites and they eat about half their body weight a day. They eat flower nectar and from feeders but also eat tree sap and small insects when flowers are hard to find.

They have superb visual acuity. They see color better than humans, with their vision extending into the ultraviolet spectrum.

Their hearts pump about 1,200 beats per minute and their normal body temperature is more than 100 degrees.

They sleep, but can also go into what's called torpor, a sleep-like state with slower metabolism when migrating.

Scientists did not believe they had a sense of smell until a study by UC Riverside published in 2021 proved otherwise.

Christopher Clark, a professor at UC Riverside's Department of Evolution, Ecology and Oranismal Biology, studies hummingbird flight. He had this to say about how their populations are faring: “Most populations are doing fine. Most but not all. In Southern California, the Calliope Hummingbirds used to breed in the San Gabriels and the San Jacintos, but in recent decades they have disappeared, and nearly disappeared from the San Bernardinos. I suspect climate change. There are still lots of them further north in the Sierras. Worldwide there are a handful of critically endangered species. On the flip side, in Southern California, Allen's Hummingbird population continues to grow very rapidly, and expanding into new areas, currently near Lancaster and east of San Diego. Allen's love eucalyptus and garden plants (and feeders).”

Red plastic feeders filled with sugar water attract the birds. If you are using a feeder, clean it regularly and protect it from ants, bees and other uninvited visitors.

One part refined sugar four parts water.

Boil, then let it cool and fill the feeder.

The hummingbird tongue as described in research by Alejandro Rico-guevara who is at the University of Washington: Hummingbirds wrap their long tongues inside their head. They can flick their tongue 12-15 times a second. Liquid is trapped by its tongue that can split at the tip to grab the nectar.

The giant hummingbird lives in South America and weighs about 0.63–0.85 ounces. It has a wingspan of approximately 8.5 inches. It can be 9 inches long or about the size of a northern cardinal.

Its weight is almost twice that of the next heaviest hummingbird species and 10 times that of the smallest.

It has a much slower wing beat that other hummingbirds at a rate of 15 per second.

Their two cents worth

The Bee hummingbird in Cuba, is the smallest bird in the world. It weighs, 1.6 grams (less than a dime) and is about 2 inches long. Most hummingbirds tip the scales at about the weight of two pennies.

The Bee hummingbird's wings beat about 65 times a second.

Flight like no other

The hummingbird is the only bird that can hover. It can flap its wings more than 50 times a second depending on the species. It can fly backwards and the Han species can fly sideways.

Common hummingbirds in Southern California

These illustrations show a hummingbird's wing motion when it's hovering. Most birds produce lift only when they flap their wings downwards, but hummingbirds can do so on the upstroke too by inverting their wings. Their wings move in a figure-eight pattern, which allows them to maneuver with ease. Downstroke Unlike other birds, a hummingbird's wings attach to the body only at its shoulder joints. This adaptation enables it to rotate its wings 180 degrees and move them in all directions. Hummingbirds have two muscles in their chests that account for more than a quarter of the birds weight. They can fly 35 mph in level flight, and hit 60 mph in a dive. The highest wingbeat frequency is 130 times per second (Esmeralda's woodstar). The next helicopter rotor you hear is likely doing full rotation 5-10 times a second. Allen's Hummingbird Upstroke Pectoralis major and Supracoracoideus muscles Recommended by the California Native Plant Society Manzinitas Chaparral currant Fuchsia-flowered gooseberry Black sage Sticky monkeyflower Year-round Migration Hummingbirds are solitary migrants, so you won't see them traveling in flocks. Research shows they travel about 20 miles a day but some can travel 500 miles when migrating. Feeding on hummingbird sage Livforever Coyote mint Scarlet bugler Breeding Nonbreeding Allen's hummingbird range Rufous hummingbird range At just over 3 inches long, its trip from Alaska to Mexico is equivalent to 78,470,000 body lengths. In comparison, the 13-inch-long Arctic Tern's one-way flight of about 11,185 miles is only 51,430,000 body lengths. Anna's Hummingbird Nesting occurs in Arizona SCNG California fuchsia Scarlet monkeyflower Western Columbine The Rufous hummingbird's migration is the longest. It makes a 3,900-mile journey from it's northern breeding grounds in Alaska to where is overwinters in Mexico. They do not migrate in the traditional latitudinal sense; instead, they tend to migrate along ranges of altitude. Hummingbirds make short call notes and chirps but Anna's Hummingbirds are the only ones that sing. Costa's hummingbird's sing but with a whistle.

Hummingbirds only use their feet to attach to twigs. They won't hop on the ground.

Tongue Mothers have no more than two eggs at a time and can have four clutches a year. Bill tip Hummingbird nests are tiny, about the width of a half dollar and the eggs are jelly bean size. Nests are made from thistle or dandelion down and held together with spider silk and pine sap. Males are very territorial and will fight to the death. Hummingbirds are protected by state and federal laws. It is illegal to possess a hummingbird. If you find an injured hummingbird, search for a rehabilitation right away.

Wingspan: About 4.3 inches Anna's hummingbird Iridescent feathers Hummingbirds are not the only birds with bright feathers, but they have some of the brightest. Structures called melanosomes within feather cells reflect light.

Biggest and smallest