Hummingbirds - Photos - Distribution and Habitat
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Picture source:
Pats Backyard Bird Cam © 2002-2004
Patricia Velte
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Hummingbirds occur all the way across the Western hemisphere. There are lots of hummingbird species in equatorial areas. There are as many as 162 species in Ecuador, 135 in Columbia. The numbers of species dwindles to the North and to the South. In Brazil there are 90 species, in Costa Rica - 54. In Uruguay there are only 4 species, and in Terra del Fuego there is just one. In the United States there are 16 species, and in Canada - only 4.
Hummingbirds live in gardens with trees, bright flowers and bushes. They do not spread to grasslands or barren areas, because these sites do not provide due conditions for feeding or nesting. On some occasions, mostly during migration periods, they can be found in fields and on sea shores.
Hummingbirds - Photos - Feeding and Metabolism
Hummingbirds take nectar and small insects. Nectars are rich in carbohydrates, which are crucial for hummingbirds, considering their unbelievably high metabolic rate. Young hummers need proteins for sufficient growth; therefore insects make about 90% of their daily ratio.
Garden keepers usually prepare artificial nectar by dissolving sugar in water in a 1:4 proportion. The dish must be cleaned at least three times weekly. Do not use honey, artificial sweeteners or colorants. It is better to place an overripe fruit next to the feeder to attract insects for birds to feed on.
Hummingbirds' blood is very rich in oxygen bearing erythrocytes. Heart rate may vary from 300 beats per minute in a calm state to 1200 beats in a power drive condition. The heart is big in relation to the body (2% of the body size). At night time, when hummingbirds fall into a state of torpor, heart slows down to about 50-100 beats per minute.
Short intestinal tract allows food to digest within less than 30 minutes. Small hummingbirds can make as many as 80 wing beats per second. In order to maintain such an active lifestyle, the bird's internal combustion engine of a heart requires almost uninterrupted fueling.
Hummingbirds - Photos - Mating and Nesting
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Picture source:
Hummingbird ID Site
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It takes about 15 seconds for a couple to mate. The consorts do not stay together and their relationship is over immediately after mating. After mating the female takes care about the building of a nest. She brings grass, lichens, and sticky pieces of cobweb; she later uses the stuff as the brick and mortar.
Two eggs make a complete clutch. The female does not lay two eggs at once. The second egg appears two days later. That is when incubation begins. The eggs hatch after two weeks. The babies come out naked and blind, but some three weeks later they get fully fledged and start leaving the nest to compete in food gaining. By this time young hummingbirds reach the size of adults.
Hummingbirds - Photos - Migration
Hummingbirds do not move in flocks. They migrate separately. Males depart first, after a week or two females and the young follow them. The young fly on their own, without supervision by adult hummers. Some hummingbirds can cover hundreds of miles in one go. Ruby Throated hummingbirds have to cross the 600-mile wide Gulf of Mexico as they leave for Mexico in fall.
Hummingbirds - Photos - General Information Links
Animal Diversity Web - Long-tailed Hermit - Furnishes details about this bird's food habits, reproduction, and behavior. Also includes a sound file.
Animal Diversity Web - Lucifer Hummingbird - Provides facts about this bird's physical characteristics, habitat, diet, and breeding.
Attract Hummingbirds - Visit this site to learn how to attract the hummingbirds to your garden.
Attracting Hummingbirds - Key requirements for hummingbird feeding.
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Picture source:
Pats Backyard Bird Cam © 2002-2004
Patricia Velte
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Dan True's Hummingbird Photos - Photos from the book "Hummingbirds of North America" and Hummingbird House kit.
Enjoyable Hummingbirds - Close-up hummingbird photos by Russ Thompson of Louisville, Kentucky.
Greg Lasley's Hummingbirds - Photos and notes of 14 Hummingbird species from throughout the Americas.
Hummingbird Identification - Detailed photos and notes of most U.S. hummingbird species, with illustrated glossary and side-by-side comparisons.
Hummingbird Photography - Close-up photographs of Hummingbirds, including nests and babies; Hummingbird poetry, art, articles, and screen saver.
Hummingbird Scavenger Hunt - FAQs about the Hummingbird.
Hummingbird WebSite - Photo Gallery - Photographs by a large collection of artists and links.
Hummingbird: How to Help Injured Hummingbirds - As with other wild animals, life is full of danger for hummingbirds, whether from weather, predators, disease or human intervention.
Hummingbirds - Beautifully hand crafted with an American made, exclusive specialty glass, to give the wings of the hummingbird a realistic metallic green luster.
Hummingbirds On the Way - In one of nature's annual occurrences, ruby-throated hummingbirds arrive in Michigan in April, before there's much food available, so get those hummingbird feeders cleaned and hung.
Hummingbirds: Frantic and Fascinating - Article by Terry Dunn.
Jerry Blinn's Hummingbird Photos - High-quality images of a Rufous Hummingbird.
Portal Productions' Hummingbird Web Site - Select the name of a subspecies to view a picture and details about its distribution. For some birds, a map illustrates their locations.
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Picture source:
Hummingbird ID Site
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R. W. Scott's Birds in Flight - Images of Hummingbirds and other birds captured with high-speed flash photography.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird - Species account from the Birds of North America.
How to Attract Hummingbirds! - Hummingbirds are pretty, they pollinate flowers, and they can move their wings faster than any other bird.
Rufous Humming Bird - Description, distribution, and biology of the species.
The Hummingbird - It is hard to believe that birds are descended from dinosaurs especially the tiny Hummingbird. However, more and more scientists are beginning to believe that it is true.
The Hummingbird Society - Nonprofit group based in Delaware for Hummingbird fans. Photo gallery, FAQ, electronic greeting cards, catalog, wallpaper images, and links.
Wildlife in My Backyard - Attracting Hummingbirds - Information on designing a garden, hummingbird behavior and the container gardening for hummers.
World Birding Center to Draw Hummingbirds to Historic Pumphouse - A tiny dynamo: These words could describe both the amazing Buff-bellied hummingbird, and the little town on the Rio Grande that chose this energetic South Texas species as mascot for its new wing of the World Birding Center.
World's Oldest Modern Hummingbirds Described in Science - The world's oldest known modern hummingbird fossils have been discovered in Germany.
Zack Sessions's Hummingbird Photos - Close-up photos of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds at feeders.
Hummingbirds - Photos - Other Hummingbirds sites
Hummingbirds - Hummingbirds are called so for the sound that they produce during a flight. These are one of the most amazing birds on earth and are famous for their variety of colorations and speed of wings. It is believed that the species originated from insect-eating swift-like birds that inhabited the northern Andes Mountains of South America.
Nowadays, Hummingbirds are found in North, Central, and South America. The density is greater in areas that are closer to the equator. The Hummingbird inhabits almost all zones including tropical forests and deserts. Earlier, they were extensively hunted because of their feathers. Yet, people soon realized that there is a danger of extinction for this species. Nowadays, Hummingbirds are becoming well adapted to living near humans. However, about 9 species remain critically endangered.
Hummingbirds Pictures - Hummingbirds populate both American continents, and can be found in every place from Brazil and Argentina and through to Canada and Alaska. There are as many as 350 species of hummingbirds, which reside in the jungle, deserts, temperate woods and grassfields, and even in towns and cities. This tiny bird belongs to the family, Trochilidae, and it has been a matter of particular interest for scientists ever since the times of man's first encounters with it.
Native Americans extolled and worshiped the bird. Mayan aborigines believed that the hummingbird was the incarnation of the sun. Ancient Aztecs believed that Huitzilopochtli, the mightiest god, had sprung from a hummingbird feather ball that had descended from heaven.
Hummingbirds Pictures - Hummingbirds are enigmatic and wonderful creations of the world. They live in the western hemisphere. The image of the hummingbird was firmly imprinted in the minds of Indians and other Native American tribes, who believed that hummingbirds were sent to the earth by gods to guard people against evil spirits. Ancient Aztecs even believed that their most powerful god had come out of a hummingbird feather ball that had come down from the sky.
For modern people this miniature dashing speedster of a bird is also a wonder. The plumage has the remarkable property of changing color in various ways at various angulations of the falling sunlight. These are the only birds that can fly in uncountable numbers of manners. Have you ever seen a bird that can fly sideways, backwards, upwards or even upside down? They even have the ability to stay aloft in the air without moving in the space.
