hummies that we hardly know

Hummingbirds, flying precious stones that we hardly know…

Raúl Erazo, MDCali – [email protected]

Hummingbirds, flying precious stones that we hardly know…

Raúl Erazo, MDCali – [email protected]

WHERE IS IT FOUND

Hummingbirds live exclusively in the American continent, from Canada until Patagonia, you can’t find them in any other continent. There are about 350 species, from which we find 160 (50%) in Colombia. They live between 4 and 12 years, depending on the species..

Fotografía por Raúl Erazo

THE IRIDESCENT COLOR

Unlike other birds, the feathers of the humming birds have little or no pigment, their iridescent color its due to a pigment that its produced in the feathers that works like a prism: they filter the light when they receive it and they reinforce only certain types of colors that are characteristic to every species.


HYPERMETABOLISM

They feed only on flowers without laying on them, that’s why they developed its flight, flapping until 80 times per second, with a high use of calories and extreme biology: their heart beats 1260 per minute, they breath 250 per minute. They temperature in activity is of 42° C, 108° F.


HYPERMETABOLISMIn order to oxygenate their blood to the required levels due to their hypermetabolism, their heart and lungs are the biggest organs, in relation to their body, among all of the vertebrates on earth; but they have another record: in order to produce energy to the maximum in their cells, they posses one of the highest quantities of mitochondria (energy producing microcentrals) in the animal kingdom.


HYPERMETABOLISM

A 4gr. Hummingbird needs 1.400 calories per gram for its. If a human being 70 kg of weight had the same requirement, it would have to consume 98.000.000 calories a day!!!


HEAT PRESERVATION

Hummingbirds have 2 ways or loosing or preserving the heat produced by their hypermetabolism: by breathing 250 times per second they eliminate hot water vapor and refresh themselves, it avoids loosing heat excessively with their dense plumage: 335 feathers per gram of weight (twice as much as a peacock).


NUTRITIONHummingbirds need a huge amount of nectar a day, up to twice its weight, that equals to someone that weights 50 kg ate 200 hamburgers a day! But nectar it's basically sugar, but they need another source to protein, fat and carbohydrates. How do they solve this?


EXCELENT HUNTERThis wonder obtains its proteins by hunting small insects such as gnats, mosquitos, small spiders, etc. Its been confirmed that it can consume up to 700 tiny fruit flies a day, that is equal to 27% of its weight! By this task, it uses its beak as hunting tool like “chop sticks”. That makes it an amazing natural insect control.

FLIGHT MASTER

They are the only bird that can fly like insects: forwards, backwards, up, down, and diagonally, or its can maintain like a helicopter. They can achieve this because they have the most flexible shoulders among birds, with a movement angle of up to 180 degrees. Sometimes they can flap their wings up to 200 times per second!Picts from: http://journowl.com/archives/835

PARTICULAR NESTING

In zones where there are predators of its nests like mice, some flying squirrels, they nest very close to the nests of birds of prey that feed on their predators. Due to their speed and size they are outside of the reach of preys, with which they secure the survival of their customary offspring

FIGHTS AT HIGH FLIGHT

Nectar its defended fiercely by the male hummingbirds in their territory, they don’t hesitate to attack invaders even if they are bigger, their chases are at high speed, and they don’t vacillate to use their beaks, claws until the rivals are dispel.

HIGH INTENSITY SOUNDS WITH THE TAIL

Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are able to produce a high intensity sound to scare other males off by slowing down and up momentarily to 120 km per hour in a specific angle, they spread their tail out suddenly and the edge of their feathers produce a high intense “whistle”.

Vuelo a 120 Kms/hora

Angulo Ascendente

El borde de las plumas genera un “pito” de alta intensidad

Extiende súbitamente la cola

So the next time that you see a hummingbird, consider that you have the privilege of seeing this wonderful flying precious stone in front of

your eyes!

Most of the pictures where taken at feeder hanging on a window.

Foto

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Music Susanna- Giunse alfin il momento Mozart- Le nozze di Figaro

Raúl Erazo, MD. Cali, Colombia

[email protected]

hummies that we hardly know

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