Text and photos by Damon Calderwood

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The magical world of Hummingbirds...

• Text and photos by Damon Calderwood
• www.damoncalderwood.com

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• Most Hummingbirds exhibit sexual dimorphism the
  male and female have very different plumage.
  While females often appear drab and nondescript
  like this female Black-chinned Hummingbird, ...

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• ...males can have spectacularly iridescent
  plumage. This male Black-chinned Hummingbird
  appears to have a purple gorget (throat patch) in
  the right light but gets his name because his
  gorget can also appear black when viewed from a
  different angle.

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• Sometimes females have small traces of
  iridescence on their throats. This female Rufous
  Hummingbird shows just a bit of red at the right
  angle.

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• Incredible aerial acrobats, Hummingbirds are the
  only birds in the world that can hover and fly
  backwards. This female Black-chinned Hummingbird
  prepares to feed in an Arizona garden.

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• Hummingbirds feed mainly on flowers, which
  provide them with the sugar-rich nectar they need
  to maintain their high metabolisms, but they will
  occasionally eat small insects and spiders for
  extra protein.

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• Hummingbirds tend to be most attracted to flowers
  that are red, orange, or pink, but they will feed
  from a wide range of colored flowers.

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• As a hummingbird approaches a flower it wishes to
  investigate, it is able to hover in front of the
  flower by turning its wings.

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The wings generate force during both the up and
the down strokes of the wingbeat cycle. These
wing movements are unlike those of any other
bird the aerodynamic mechanisms of the movements
actually resemble those of insects such as hawk
moths.
The wings generate force during both the up and
the down strokes of the wing beat cycle. These
wing movements are unlike those of any other
bird the aerodynamic mechanisms of the movements
actually resemble those of insects such as hawk
moths.
The wings generate force during both the up and
the down strokes of the wingbeat cycle. These
wing movements are unlike those of any other
bird the aerodynamic mechanisms of the movements
actually resemble those of insects such as hawk
moths.
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• Hummingbirds are aided by an enlarged heart,
  which supplies the wings with the oxygen they
  need for flapping. Their heart rate can reach as
  high as 1,260 beats per minute.

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Hummingbirds while in flight have the highest
metabolism of all vertebrates, a necessity in
order to support the rapid beating of their
wings.
While in flight, hummingbirds have the highest
metabolisms of all vertebrates, a necessity in
order to support the rapid beating of their
wings.
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• At any point during the day, hummingbirds are
  only a few hours away from starving to death. In
  order to avoid starvation, they must consume at
  least their own body weight in nectar daily.

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• Hummingbirds have many displays, often involving
  diving from great heights. A female Rufous
  Hummingbird flashes her tail here, showing
  brilliant colors hidden in her feathers.

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• Perhaps a little surprisingly, up to 70 of a
  hummingbirds time can be spent singing,
  preening, or sunbathing.

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• When a hummingbird does take off from its perch,
  it can explode into flight in a millisecond, with
  wings that beat up to 70 times per second in the
  smallest hummingbirds.

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• No other bird can approach the aerial gymnastics
  that hummingbirds are capable of doing.
  Nonetheless, hummingbirds are eaten by other
  birds, mammals, snakes, and even large spiders.

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Hummingbirds are active by day, and can go into a
state of torpor at night when they need to slow
down their metabolism.
Hummingbirds are active by day and can go into a
state of torpor at night when they need to slow
down their metabolism.
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• Small mites often use hummingbirds as a means of
  transport between the plants they help to
  pollinate by hitching a ride on the hummers
  beak. A tiny mite can be seen here near the base
  of this female Rufous Hummingbirds bill.

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• Once his part in the mating ritual is done, the
  male concerns himself with maintaining his
  territory and driving off other rival males who
  might steal some of his food supply. This
  colorful male Broad-billed Hummingbird has
  staked out a very nutrient-rich area in a Portal,
  Arizona garden.

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• One very practical reason for the female to be
  less conspicuous than the male is that she does
  all the nesting herself, rearing the young with
  no help from her mate. Her duller colors help her
  blend in with the surrounding foliage. This
  female Black-chinned Hummingbird has made her
  nest seven feet high in a small tree in the
  Chiricahua Mountains of Arizona.

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• During the nesting season, which can be as early
  as January for some southern species, males will
  often mate with several females. The females will
  do all the nest-building themselves, often
  nesting within a few dozen yards of each other,
  like this female Black-chinned Hummingbird in
  southeastern Arizona, who nested within 100 yards
  of six others.

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• Hummingbird nests are about the size of a golf
  ball and are extremely well camouflaged. This
  nest of a Rufous Hummingbird in Chemainus,
  British Columbia is decorated with lichens bound
  together with spiders silk.

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• Hummingbirds most commonly lay two eggs, which
  are smaller than jellybeans. When the young hatch
  after about sixteen days, they are dark, have no
  feathers, and cant open their eyes.

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• After a few days, the young open their eyes and
  begin to grow pinfeathers. They are fed primarily
  with regurgitated nectar, but occasionally the
  parent will add a few small insects and arachnids
  to the menu.

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The female hummingbird feeds her young every
half-hour on average between her forays to feed
on nectar at various flowers within her
territory.
The female hummingbird feeds her young every
half-hour on average between forays to feed on
nectar at various flowers within her territory.
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• Feeding young hummingbirds can resemble a
  sword-swallowing act, but the female knows just
  where to place her long bill so that the young
  are not injured.

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• Some females will even start a new nest before
  their first one has fledged, alternating caring
  for young at the first nest while incubating eggs
  in the second.

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• Young hummingbirds prepare for fledging by
  exercising their wings in the nest.

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• Finally, at about three weeks after hatching, the
  young hummingbirds are ready to fledge.

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One hummingbird will usually fledge first,
followed by the other a few hours to a day later.
One chick will usually fledge first, followed by
the other a few hours to a day later.
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• When the final chick is ready to leave, it
  perches on the edge of the nest and flaps its
  wings. When the time is right, it will land in a
  nearby tree. The empty nest is sometimes reused
  for a second brood.

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• These beautiful little birds have been called
  jewels of the forest because of their spectacular
  iridescent plumage.

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• You can help hummingbirds in your area by placing
  a feeder with sugar water in it in your yard. A
  great website to learn more information about
  feeding local hummingbirds is www.hummingbirdworld
  .com .

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• If you are interested in more pictures of
  hummingbirds and other species of birds, you can
  purchase Flights of Fantasy at www.damoncalderwood
  .com . It makes a great gift for any birder or
  photographer!

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