Let's Talk About: Hummingbirds
- Hope's Inspirations
- Aug 9, 2024
- 2 min read
History
This magnificent little bird's story begins in Eurasia roughly 42 million years ago when they split from their sister group the "Swifts and Treeswifts". Hummingbird like fossils have been found dating back 28 to 34 million years ago. They left no survivors in their ancestral lands and it’s still a mystery as to why. They invaded South America roughly 22 million years ago and radiated dramatically. During this process, they quickly diversified into nine principal clades, topazes, hermits, mangoes, brilliants, coquettes, mountain gems, bees, emeralds, and the single-species group Patagona. The mystery still remains as to how or why hummingbirds ended up in South America at all. According to UC Berkeley Herpetologist Jimmy McGuire...
“It is really difficult to imagine how it started, since hummingbirds are involved in this co-evolutionary process with plants that has led to specializations we typically associate with hummingbird plants, such as tubular, often red flowers, with dilute nectar,” he explains. “They drive the evolution of their own ecosystem. The evolution of hummingbirds has profoundly affected the evolution of the New World flora via co-diversification.”
Around 12 million years ago they made their way to North America. The first were common ancestors of the bee and mountain gem hummingbirds. Eventually, roughly 5 million years ago they invaded the Caribbean.
Today there are over 360 hummingbirds species and they can only be found the western hemisphere.
Basic Information
The Hummingbird gets it's name from the humming noise its wings make. They are a part of the Trochilidae family and are the smallest bird in the world. With a lifespan of roughly 5 years, they measure roughly 3"-5". Eating up to 12 times their bodyweight in one day, the Hummingbird's diet consist of nectar and small insects (aphids and spiders). They are very territorial over their eating spaces.
Plants and hummingbirds share an ecological co-dependency. Not only do hummingbirds rely on nectar for their high metabolisms but, over 7,000 plants rely on hummingbirds to pollinate them.
These little guys poses a special power that other bird species do not. They can hover, fly backwards and upside down. They can flap their wings around 70 beats per second, producing that recognizable humming sound. Although they dominate in the sky, they cannot walk or hop.
Hummingbirds on average fly 20-30 mph but can exceed 50mph. They migrate like other birds but do not do so in a flock. On average they can travel 23 miles in a day but when migrating this number is much much larger.
When you're in your garden next, plant something for these little guys. Hopefully, knowing these facts and understanding more how ancient, and fascinating they are, you will smile a bit larger when you see one. They may be small, but their story is greater than I could have ever imagined.
Sources:
Comments