Despite the fact that the hummingbird is the smallest bird on Earth, it is energetic, fearless and very thrifty. And the hummingbird is one of the most beautiful birds on the planet.
Look at what names it was given: "topaz hummingbird", "flying amethyst", "emerald neck", "fire topaz". We will talk about the features of this bird, where the hummingbird lives, about its appearance and interesting facts in this article.
The appearance and character of the bird
The largest of these birds are called giant hummingbirds (Patagona gigas), they live in the South American Andes. Their length can reach 22cm... The smallest of this species are dwarf bee (Mellisuga minima) living in Cuba, its size in length - only 6cm(from the end of the tail to the end of the beak). It is she who is the smallest bird in the world.
There are 330 species in total, all live in America, not only in the tropics and subtropics, but also in other climatic zones, even in Alaska. Hummingbirds live in areas with many flowers, and those are abundant in the tropics.
How much courage this little bird has! The hummingbird fearlessly attacks even snakes if they crawl to its nest... With an arrow, she rushes to the protection of the chicks and hits with a sharp long beak in the eye or nose of the intruder. In addition to snakes, the enemies of hummingbirds are tarantula spiders... Man also exterminated this species. Feathers were in vogue, so poachers did not spare the tiny flying creatures.
Food
- The fodder is the nectar taken from flowers by birds.
- They can easily do it on the fly, hovering over a flower cup.
- Tiny birds can flap their wings up to 78 times per second! It takes a lot of energy.
- If possible, the bird tries to sit on the flower while drinking the nectar.
Besides the fact that hummingbirds are amazingly beautiful birds, they also do an important job - pollinating flowers while drinking nectar. The arrangement of many flowers is such that only a baby like a hummingbird can pollinate them. The flower shape of plants is different, but the beaks of hummingbird species are also different. From flat flowers, you can drink nectar only with a short beak; long and narrow. The longest beak of the sword-beak is 10 cm, when the size of a hummingbird, that is, the length of its body is almost the same.
- Birds are able to withstand low temperatures because their feathers provide good thermal insulation. They have more feathers per unit of body length than other small birds.
- The hummingbird can slow down its metabolism to a state of numbness, and it does so to conserve energy.
- Before migration stores 72% of body weight in fat, which is energetically more efficient than carbohydrate.
- Hummingbirds have the most active liver in terms of metabolism known to science, as well as an extremely high rate of glucose transfer.
Scientists have established how fast the hummingbird flaps its wings. The results are amazing: in the moment during which the person blinked, the baby flaps its miniature wings dozens of times. Small individuals make 80-100 swings per second. When the size of the hummingbird is relatively large, the bird flaps its wings only 10 per second.
Hummingbird flight
Such aerobatics allows a bird to perform a special body structure.
Reproduction
- Northern hummingbirds give birth to offspring only in the summer, but birds that live in the tropics do it all year round.
- Males mate with a female between meals.
- Only the female builds the nest and feeds the chicks.
- The nest is fixed on the thinnest branches or leaves, on which a heavy predator cannot resist.
- The female incubates eggs for about 18 days.
- The chicks are fed with nectar. If the mother lingers for at least half a minute, the chicks may hibernate. Therefore, the bird shakes them up and shoves in food so that they do not die of exhaustion.
Migrations
carries out long seasonal flights... From Florida to Yucatan, birds fly across the sea without the ability to turn back or stop. Due to this feature, the bird continuously overcomes about 1000 km, and since it flies at a speed of 50 km / h, it takes about 20 hours for it.This is possible thanks to the incredible endurance of tiny birds weighing some 7g.
Looking at hummingbirds, you can think about the Earth, our world. He seems so fragile and small in comparison with the universe, but his inner strength is great. Thin threads of life permeate this pearl in space. Let's not rip them up.
It's no secret that a hummingbird is the smallest bird in the world, its size is slightly larger than some insects, and sometimes some large one may even be larger than a small hummingbird. But the hummingbird is not only remarkable for its size, the bright color of the feathers and the specific nature makes them one of the most amazing and unique representatives of the animal world of our planet.
Hummingbird: description, structure, characteristics. What does a hummingbird look like?
The size of a hummingbird does not exceed 5 cm, the weight of a hummingbird averages 1.6-1.8 grams. But among hummingbirds there are also larger representatives, the so-called "gigantic hummingbird", whose dimensions are truly gigantic in comparison with their small relatives, the weight of a gigantic hummingbird can reach up to 20 grams, with a body length of as much as 21-22 cm.
It looks like a gigantic hummingbird.
The bright plumage of hummingbirds, which, moreover, shimmers in different colors under the sun's rays, is the subject of their little pride, and, interestingly, male hummingbirds are colored brighter than females. Some hummingbirds are tufted or slightly colored on their heads. The tail of a hummingbird, depending on its species, can have a different shape, but, as a rule, it consists of ten feathers, also having a bright color.
The hummingbird's beak is thin, long, the upper part of the beak wraps around the lower one. Hummingbirds also have a forked tongue. Hummingbird wings have a sharp shape, each wing has 9-10 flight feathers and 6 short small ones, which are completely hidden under cover feathers. Hummingbirds' legs are small, weak and, moreover, with long claws, as a result, they are practically unsuitable for walking, which is why hummingbirds are in the air most of the time.
Of the more than 350 hummingbird species, only a few have the ability to sing, with the hummingbird's voice sounding like a faint chirp.
How many waves per second does a hummingbird make?
In addition to their bright plumage and small size, hummingbirds have something to surprise us with - the speed with which these birds flap their wings is truly fantastic. In a short time, during which a person only has time to blink, the hummingbird makes dozens of flaps of its wings. So how many flaps of its wings per second does a hummingbird do? Small hummingbirds make 80-100 strokes per second, large hummingbirds are not so agile and only make 8-10 strokes per second. Thanks to such a fast flapping of their wings, these birds can literally hover in the air over some flower, extracting nectar from it with their long beaks.
The flight of a hummingbird is somewhat similar to flight in its properties, and what is interesting is that hummingbirds are the only birds among birds that can fly in the opposite direction. Hummingbirds can fly at speeds of up to 80 km per hour. True, such fast flights are not easy for them, since they consume a large amount of energy, for example, a bird's heart during a fast flight accelerates to 1200 beats per minute, while at rest it makes only 500 beats per minute.
How many hummingbirds live
The maximum life span of these smallest birds averages 8-9 years.
Where hummingbirds live
Hummingbirds live exclusively on the American continent, and in both South and North America, wherever there are flowers. Hummingbirds are mostly sedentary, preferring to settle in mountain meadows and humid equatorial forests. Some species of these birds, such as the ruby-throated hummingbird, are resistant to cold climates, and live, for example, in Canada.
What does hummingbird eat?
One of the additional nicknames that these birds have - "feathered", perfectly characterizes what they eat. Like bees, hummingbirds feed on flower nectar and, like bees, also perform the useful function of pollinating flowers.
But hummingbirds are not limited to flower nectar, being omnivores, they also hunt various small insects, which they catch right on the fly. It should be noted that hummingbirds are incredibly voracious (as for their small size, of course), so the total weight of food consumed per day may even exceed its own weight of a hummingbird by 1.5 times. It is also interesting that while taking nectar, the tongue of the hummingbird descends into the neck of the flower at a rate of 20 times per second.
Hummingbird enemies
The hummingbirds also have their enemies who are not averse to feasting on these bright birds - these are various larger feathered predators, snakes and bird-eating spiders. But it is also very difficult for them to catch a hummingbird with incredible speeds. In addition, hummingbirds are very brave and can sometimes bravely fight back or even attack larger birds.
But the main and most dangerous enemy of the hummingbird, like other representatives of the animal world, is, of course, man. So the deforestation of the tropical forests of South America led to the fact that 2 species of hummingbirds living in these forests disappeared completely, and 46 species are now included in. Although part of the hummingbird has adapted to the neighborhood with humans, and even feels quite well in city parks and flower gardens.
Hummingbird species, photos and names
As we wrote above, there are more than 350 species of hummingbirds by zoologists and it makes no sense to describe them all.
This is the smallest representative of the hummingbird, and indeed of all birds on Earth. The hummingbird bee is 7 cm in size and is found in Cuba.
And this is the opposite, the largest representative of the hummingbird family, its body length is 21-22 cm and weighs 18-20 grams.
Hummingbird breeding
The hummingbird nest, where they lay their eggs, is as small as its mistresses, it is about the size of a small cup. These hummingbirds create nests from cobwebs, fluff, blades of grass, pieces of bark.
Usually, in one clutch, a hummingbird lays 2 eggs each 10 mm in diameter. The female hummingbird is hatching eggs for 14-19 days, then for several months after the birth of the chicks, she feeds them until they become ready for independent life.
- According to the beliefs of the American Indians of the Aztecs, hummingbirds are the reincarnation of the souls of dead warriors.
- The oldest hummingbirds known to science, about 30 million years old, were found in Germany, which indicates their wider habitat in antiquity. Subsequently, hummingbirds in Europe were not preserved for one reason or another.
- Hummingbirds are present on the coat of arms of Latin American countries such as Trinidad and Tobago.
Hummingbird, video
And in conclusion, an interesting documentary film about our today's heroine - "The secret life of a hummingbird."
Hummingbird Are not only the smallest birds on our vast planet, but also a magnificent decoration of our nature. Their bright color of feathers and special character make these miniature creatures attractive.
There are over 300 species of hummingbirds that have minor differences. Among such a multitude there are also champions - the smallest hummingbird birds... Sometimes these birds resemble more butterflies or some kind of insects due to their tiny size. hummingbirds-bees weigh only 2 grams !!!
This species is the smallest and most unique. These amazing birds, more similar in size to a bumblebee, have an amazing color. Above, the feathers are green, but below they are white, and the sun they shine very beautifully. On average, the weight of a hummingbird, a hummingbird, is approximately 20 grams.
Hummingbirds are also small in size, ranging from 7 centimeters to 22 centimeters, which is the length from the tip of the beak to the tip of the tail. In the largest hummingbirds, the feathers are brown with a green tint above, and red-brown below, and the upper tail is gray-yellow.
The color of the bird itself often depends not only on the color in which nature painted the feathers, but also on the angle of view and the direction of the rays of light. Very often, the color can change and shimmer with all colors, somewhat resembling the play of color on the edges of precious stones.
It should be noted that the color range of males is much richer and much brighter, the fairer sex is clearly inferior in this comparison. Wonderful poems have been written about the unprecedented beauty of the bird:
“In the thicket of the forest, in the thick of darkness,
The dawn beam trembled.
There is a hummingbird, a spark-bird,
Like a small fire. "
Here is another example of a literary poetic description of this miraculous:
"The hummingbird flies
Between flowers tirelessly -
She takes scented baths.
And plenty of aroma and light,
It will fly off with a multicolored rocket. "
Hummingbird bird photo complete an unusual look. Truly gorgeous tiny birds that will take your breath away. Hummingbirds have an unusual long, thin beak, usually the upper half of the beak slightly covers the lower part at the edges. The tongue of small birds is long and forked, they are able to significantly push the tongue out of the mouth.
The wings of these little birds are long and sharp. They usually have 10, but sometimes there are also types with 9, large flight feathers and only six short small feathers, which are almost completely hidden under cover feathers.
Hummingbirds very often flap their wings, they do it so quickly that it is even impossible to see it, only the shadow of movement is visible. They make about 50 strokes in one second, this is when the bird hovers in the air. But this is not the limit of their speed; in flight at maximum speed, a bird can do 200 strokes.
The flight speed of these "crumbs" also has a record among and is over 100 kilometers per hour. Fly unique hummingbirds can in all directions: down, up, sideways, forward and even back.
In the air, they are able to perform real aerobatics and do it so quickly that it is very difficult to keep track of their movement; a bright speck just flashes before their eyes. The movement of the bird is accompanied by a characteristic buzzing, which occurs as a result of the friction of feathers against the air.
With such physical exertion, the heart also works at high speed, in a calm state it makes about 500 beats, and during physical exertion, for example, high-speed flight, this figure more than doubles and can reach 1500 beats per minute.
Hummingbird legs are very small, thin and weak, with claws, which makes them unsuitable for walking, so birds never sit on the ground, they spend their whole life in flight. Hence another unique ability of this species of birds - the ability to hang in the air.
At such moments, the wings describe a figure eight in the air, thus, balance is maintained and the hummingbird can remain motionless for a long time and "hover" in one place. Hummingbirds sleep like bats, falling into a state similar to suspended animation.
It is worth mentioning another unique feature of this organism - this is body temperature. During the movement, hummingbirds are warm-blooded, the body temperature reaches 42 degrees, but in the dark, when they sit on the branches, the body temperature drops sharply to 17 degrees Celsius, so the bird simply freezes and waits for the onset of dawn. Such numbness also occurs in the event of a lack of food, which is very dangerous and can end in death if the bird is not warmed and fed on time.
The nature and lifestyle of the hummingbird bird
Hummingbirds are very unusual birds and this is manifested in absolutely everything. The behavior and character of these birds is also unusual and has a number of features. Hummingbirds are very mischievous, fast and perky, but at the same time they are very brave and one might even say fearless. This is clearly seen during hatching, when hummingbirds can attack birds much larger than themselves and fight fearlessly and courageously.
Hummingbirds are selfish and lonely birds, although you can often find flocks of these birds, but in such a group, each representative is a bright individual. They do not always get along peacefully with each other and sometimes serious conflicts and disagreements arise.
A person does not pose any threat to small birds, so they often build nests near houses. Some lovers of beauty specifically draw the attention of birds to their home and garden by planting their favorite hummingbird flowers and placing drinking bowls with syrup or honey dissolved in water.
Thus, hummingbirds become regular guests and fly to the house with enviable regularity. They sometimes behave like pets. Catching this bird is a very difficult task.
Though buy hummingbird it is possible, but it makes no sense, since they themselves, under favorable conditions, are not averse to settling next to your house. Hummingbird birds can sing, but this is more typical for the smallest hummingbirds-bees, while other birds emit faint chirping.
These birds are distributed over a large territory; they can inhabit both mountains and plains, and in some cases even deserts. Some species occupy a large area, while others occupy only a small area, such as the top of a mountain.
The largest number of hummingbird birds lives in the Western Hemisphere, the largest number is recorded in the Amazon region. It is known that birds that live in temperate latitudes migrate to warmer regions in winter, making long flights to hot countries.
Reproduction and lifespan of hummingbirds
Most often, hummingbirds live no more than 9 years, but during this time they are able to fly very long distances in total, which is also a record among other bird species. In captivity, these birds live less, although hummingbird price very high.
This is due to the fact that it is very difficult to ensure the proper conditions. In captivity, birds feed exclusively on honey syrup. And for a fulfilling life, they need a varied diet, flowers and the ability to fly long distances. The ambient temperature is also very important for them.
Females take care of the offspring. These birds do not form pairs. To begin with, females weave nests, for this they use the best and softest plant and animal materials. The nest is made deep enough so that the female, sitting down in it, as if she was hanging out.
The nest is located on a branch, less often at a fork in the branches, sometimes attached to a rock. Hummingbirds lay 2 eggs each, very rarely there are cases when there is only one egg in the nest. The egg itself in some species has a weight of only 2 grams.
Hummingbird eggs hatch for about 15 days, less often this period is 19 days. Then the chicks will live in the nest for another 20-25 days. Tiny hummingbirds are born without feathers and blind. The hummingbird mother brings nectar and pumps it into the chicks' beaks.
The male does not take special part in raising and caring for the chicks, however, some facts indicate that the dad does take care of and protects the territory from possible danger.
Hummingbird bird feeding
Hummingbird food is not very diverse. Previously, it was believed that the diet is exclusively flower nectar, but later it turned out that this opinion was erroneous.
To get nectar from a flower, a hummingbird flies close to it and hovers in the air next to it, then plunges its thin long beak into the flower and slightly opens it.
By sticking out its tubular tongue and swallowing hummingbirds, it sucks in nectar, which enters the bird's digestive system, which in turn consists of the mouth, esophagus and intestines.
In addition to nectar, the hummingbird also eats small insects, which it catches on the buds, leaves of plants, or finds in the cobweb. The hummingbird stomach is used to digest insects.
Hummingbirds need to absorb a large amount of food in order to be active and maintain body temperature, therefore, the bird eats food twice as much as its body weight per day, thus, they maintain their normal state. Digestion and metabolism in the body is very fast.
The weight of the smallest adult hummingbirds is less than three grams.
2. There are 330 species of hummingbirds in the world, and the vast majority are brightly colored birds of very small size.
3. Researchers of nature awarded the representatives of this family with very beautiful names: "angel hummingbird", "snow-capped hummingbird", "coquette hummingbird", "emerald neck", "fire topaz", "flying amethyst".
4. Hummingbirds are found in a variety of climates: Arizona, the coast of Nova Scotia, Argentina, even Alaska.
5. At first glance, these birds are very delicate and fragile, however, they are the most hardy in the entire animal world. During migration, hummingbirds are able to cover a thousand kilometers in less than a day.
Gigantic hummingbird
6. The largest of the hummingbirds are gigantic hummingbirds, the size of these birds reaches 21 centimeters, and the weight is 20 grams.
7. Hummingbirds are not found in Russia, but you can see them with your own eyes in zoos and ornitariums.
8. The only time a hummingbird was found on the territory of the Russian Federation. An ocher hummingbird was discovered in 1976 on Ratmanov Island (Bering Strait).
9. The hummingbird is the only bird that can fly backwards or upside down.
10. Hummingbirds feed only when they are in the air.
"Hummingbird-bee"
11. The smallest hummingbird is called "hummingbird-bee", this bird is only 7 centimeters long and weighs 2 grams.
12. Scientists claim that hummingbirds are just made to fly. It is hardly an exaggeration to say that hummingbirds are the best flyers in the world.
13. The speed of the hummingbird wings beats is enormous - about 50-80 beats per second. But this is not the limit.
14. The speed of a small bird reaches 80 km / h, which is really a lot for such a small creature.
15. Taking care of the female, the male of one of the hummingbird species makes more than 200 strokes per second. Acceleration to maximum speed and an instant stop in these birds occurs almost instantly, in just a few seconds.
Sword-billed hummingbird
16. The hummingbird's beak is thin and long, sometimes very long; for example, in the sword-billed hummingbird, the beak is longer than the entire length of the bird (i.e., the head, neck and body). Thus, this species of hummingbird turns out to be the longest-billed bird in the world.
17. The hummingbird's diet consists of flower nectar and small insects.
18. To get the right amount of food, hummingbirds use their long beak that can penetrate deep into the calyx of the flower.
19. Some hummingbird species are even more original, piercing the base of the flower with their beak, if they cannot get to the nectar in the usual way.
20. For the extraction of nectar, a long tongue, which has a special shape, is also used. This form helps the nectar to stay on the tongue when the hummingbirds decide to eat. The nectar is captured by the tongue and, thanks to the shape of the tongue, flows directly into the throat.
Ruby-throated hummingbird
21. The ruby-throated hummingbird flies from Canada to Mexico and Panama for the winter. The flight distance is 5000 kilometers.
22. The average flight speed is about 50 kilometers per hour. Not all large birds are able to withstand such a long and exhausting flight, not to mention small birds.
23. Hummingbirds have a huge, by their standards, heart - it is three times larger than the stomach, and occupies more than a third of the volume of their entire body.
24. The heart of a hummingbird beats 500-1000 per minute, and during its life it contracts about 4.5 billion times.
25. There are several times more red blood cells in hummingbirds than in other representatives of birds.
26. Hummingbirds can hover motionlessly over a flower almost vertically. This is a unique property. In the whole world, only the hawk bird can still do this.
27. Hummingbirds are superior to the vast majority of birds in the art of flying. And the structure of the body, the structure of the wings, they differ from all other birds.
28 To be able to flap their wings so quickly, hummingbirds must have short and straight bones in the shoulder and forearm. Wing bones are strong and lightweight due to their hollowness.
29.The structure of the hummingbird wing itself is very rigid due to the fact that a number of joints simply do not move.
30.The shoulder joints are flexible, so they can move in any direction. They can also rotate about 180 degrees.
31. Nature did not skimp on the colors of hummingbirds - bright colors and iridescent shine are inherent in birds.
32. Hummingbirds have an original feature - their plumage looks different every time.
33. If at first glance the bird may seem greenish in color, then at the second glance the plumage may sparkle with purple hues - this is a feature of light refraction. 33. Hummingbirds can fall into a lethargic sleep. During the day, the body temperature of a hummingbird is 39-40 degrees Celsius, and at night, when the ambient temperature drops, the bird falls into a daze, its body temperature drops to 18 degrees, breathing becomes barely noticeable. Thus, the hummingbird reduces its energy expenditure. And with the onset of morning and the rise in air temperature, the hummingbird returns to its normal state.
34. The hummingbird is depicted on the coat of arms of the island state of Trinidad and Tobago.
35. During the "flight in place", the hummingbird has to write out a figure eight with its wings. Thanks to this, the bird is kept in the air in an upright position.
36. Male hummingbirds from females can be distinguished by the original shape of the head and tail feathers.
37. Most species of hummingbirds nest in trees, bushes; some species, like swifts, stick nests with saliva to rocks or leaves.
38.The hummingbird builds nests very skillfully from plant fluff, grass blades, etc. and attaches lichens, moss, etc. to them. The nests are hung on the branches or ends of leaves.
39. The direct enemies of hummingbirds are the tarantula and tree snakes.
40. To provide your body with enough energy, a number of hummingbird species must eat very often - every 10-20 minutes.
41. These little birds never mate. Responsibilities for family affairs fall entirely on the "shoulders" of the female.
42. The female hummingbird builds the nest herself. Then she usually lays two eggs and very rarely one. The hummingbird egg is the smallest in the world. One female also incubates eggs for 14-19 days.
43. Hummingbird chicks are naked, weak and helpless, they are also fed by one female.
44. Birds can fly in the rain - this is necessary for their survival. If hummingbirds could not fly in the rain, it would jeopardize the survival of a number of species.
45. Hummingbirds consume about a hundred times more food per unit weight than elephants.
46. It is a great pleasure to look at these crumbs. But it is very difficult to "catch" them with a glance on the branches - the hummingbird is constantly on the move.
47. The longest recorded lifespan of hummingbirds is 17 years, but on average they live shorter, about 9 years.
48. On a day, the hummingbird consumes more food than its own weight.
49. In hummingbirds, wing muscle mass accounts for about 40% of the total body mass.
50. To provide muscles with oxygen during flight, oxygen is also needed. Its hummingbirds are obtained thanks to the developed respiratory system, which includes 9 air sacs.
Rocket-tailed hummingbird
photo from the Internet
According to the legends of the ancient city of Teotihuacan, located in Mexico, the hummingbird is the soul of a deceased warrior. People have believed in this for centuries and guarded hummingbirds. talking about this miniature creation are collected in this article. Kids and their parents will be interested in learning more detailed information about the bird.
On the verge of extinction
Few people know, but the skins of beautiful hummingbirds are in great demand in the fashion industry. Various jewelry is produced from them, and sophisticated ladies do not spare any money to get such a product. Over the past decades, small hummingbirds have sharply declined in the population, because people who want to get a lot of money are exterminating birds in incredible numbers. Here are 10 more interesting facts about hummingbirds.
Where do birds live?
At first glance, it seems that these creatures are completely unadapted to life. I would like to take care of them, to shelter them from all winds and rains. In fact, it is the most hardy creation of a hummingbird - a bird, interesting facts about which are presented in this article. And here is the first of them: the baby is so adapted to any climatic conditions that it is found in Argentina, Arizona, the coast of Nova Scotia and even in Alaska itself! But, despite the appearance of widespread distribution, hummingbirds live only in the territories of the New World.
Only once was the buffy hummingbird seen in Russia. It happened in 1976, and the baby was found on what is in the Bering Strait.
Dimensions (edit)
Today we will tell you the most interesting facts about hummingbirds. Many people mistakenly assume that this bird exists in a single form and has a miniature shape. However, there are 300 species in total! Among them, the bee hummingbird is the smallest. It weighs no more than one and a half grams, and its size, together with its tail and beak, is on average five centimeters, there are giant individuals that have grown to seven!
There are also quite large hummingbirds, which the tongue does not dare to call that. a species reaching a size of 21.6 centimeters.
On average, hummingbirds live for nine years. Of these, most of the time is spent in the air, feeding.
Glutton
Since today we are talking about interesting facts about the hummingbird bird, it is worth mentioning its very healthy appetite. The little creature loves to eat, and he needs an incredible amount of food. During 16 hours of wakefulness, the hummingbird drinks about 120 times and eats an amount of food that exceeds its own weight twice! They feed on the fly, hovering over the flower. It was believed that the baby's diet consists only of flower nectar. However, as it became known relatively recently, most of the menu consists of small insects living in flowers.
A small creature needs a lot of food in order to maintain a stable body temperature and help an incredibly fast metabolism.
Little bird with a huge heart
Speaking of a big heart, they do not mean her kindness and generosity! The hummingbird's heart is indeed very large in comparison to the overall size. The volume of an organ is three times that of an insatiable stomach. The heart takes up half of the already small body of the crumb. But nature was not mistaken when creating the feathered, but everything was foreseen. These birds are very active, restless and nimble, which is why they need a good, high-quality "motor". It is also needed to help maintain a fast metabolism. It is worth noting that there are much more red blood cells in the body of the described creature than in other representatives of the feathered world.
Counting beats per minute
Today we are interested in interesting facts about her. Speaking about the heart of this crumb, we wrote about its size. But this organ is famous not only for its volume. The heart of the feathered creature beats at a frequency of five hundred beats per minute, and this is when it is in a calm state. If she fights or runs away from the enemy, then the muscle develops incredible speed and can contract up to 1200 times per minute! In nine years of life, the "motor" contracts about 4.5 billion times, which is twice the number of contractions of the human heart in seventy years.
Flight speed
Considering interesting facts about hummingbirds, one should not omit such an important point as the speed of this baby. Small species are quite agile, maneuverable, and it is impossible to catch them like a butterfly, because the maximum speed of the bird is about eighty kilometers per hour. They emit a buzz, like insects, due to the number of flaps of their wings, and there are from eighty to one hundred per second. It is worth noting that large species of the described birds can flap their wings only 8-10 times during the same time.
Due to the speed of flight and the number of flaps of the hummingbird's wings above the flower, it resembles a frozen figurine, and the outlines of its wings are completely invisible. By the way, this bird is the only one of its kind, endowed with the gift of flying "in reverse" and sideways. Amazing right?
Brave creation
The topic of the day today is interesting facts about hummingbirds. This small and seemingly harmless bird is a real brave one. Protecting her nest and offspring, and sometimes herself, she becomes a threat to predators. The baby threateningly rushes not only at representatives of its kind, but also at large birds, which can swallow it entirely with their beak. No one expects such courage from her, and she is as agile as a whirligig. The clumsy formidable birds simply do not have time to keep track of her, and she, taking this opportunity, continues to confuse and drive away a large enemy. Not every cute and small creature is endowed with such a disposition and courage as the smallest representative of the genus of birds, and this deserves respect.
Perfect adhesion to air
In a more detailed study of the hummingbird, scientists installed a miniature camera in its habitat, which is capable of capturing the fastest moments. With the help of this observation eye, new interesting facts about hummingbirds were revealed. The baby, making a dive, developed such a speed that it allowed it to fly a distance equal to four hundred of its bodies in one second. If we compare the speed and body length of the bird, then we can draw incredible conclusions: the ratio of these parameters is much higher than that of a space shuttle passing through the dense layers of the atmosphere, and a jet fighter, which has its afterburner! But that is not all. At the crucial moment of the exit from the peak, the baby showed such inhibition that one can envy. Such a sharp and precise "brake" is not endowed with any conqueror of airspace from the animal world and created by man.
The female is responsible for the offspring
Hummingbirds don't get along well and that's why they never mate. Males are not endowed with parental instincts at all, and chicks are not at all interested in them. Few creatures put all the obligations on a woman, including raising offspring. The female hummingbird is an independent and self-sufficient representative of the fair sex, she does not need the help of a male. She herself will make a nest from natural fluff, blades of grass, hang it from the foliage, or stick it with saliva to the rock. There she will lay two white testicles, in rare cases one. She will take care of him for 14-19 days. When a naked, small and defenseless chick hatches into the world, she will feed him herself, again without the help of a male. The hummingbird is a good, caring mother.
What is Hummingbird?
Considering interesting facts about hummingbirds, I would like to mention that the name of the little bird is popular. A musical group from St. Petersburg is named in her honor, although the baby does not know how to sing beautifully, like, for example, a nightingale. Also named after her is a pistol created by designer Franz Pfannlem, a kayak of German origin with a unique frame and a hybrid balloon.
Today, the most interesting facts about hummingbirds were presented for review. We hope that this article was interesting not only for young readers, but also for people of the older generation.
