I was hoping they would give us much more in-depth information about torpor, specifically how and why their bodies start & stop it. I appreciate the overview & the course, so far. I think I was just hoping for a deeper dive on everything!

I had not realized how deep the torpor of a hummingbird gets.  Their range of temperatures is remarkable.

They are clearly vulnerable in torpor -- I wonder how well hidden they are and how many are lost in an average night.

Nothing was new for me.

I was fascinated to learn how hummingbirds use ultraviolet light and other parts of the light spectrum to detect their prey, a visual ability that differs markedly from human vision.

I assume we will soon learn what hummingbirds feed their young.  I assume they have to raise the percentage of protein to sugar in that case.

The nectar robbing was a new for me.

The nectar robbing was a new aspect of their feeding mechanism.  And their utilization of Sapsucker holes as a food source was amazing.

what they do for survival at night is amazing!

Yes! Didn’t know one species has only been seen on three occasions and that there could be other species not observed yet!!

how they hover

The flight mechanism is so ingenious and robbing nectar, so surprising.  Bill adaptation and evolution is quite fascinating. Nectar/insect perportion was surprising for me. I wonder if they sleep the nights in summer or they have to torpor always, no matter what the temperature is. All in all it was a fascinating lecture.

I didn't know that some species of hummingbirds feed from sap wells drilled by sapsuckers. Curious that the anatomy of the tongue and head is so similar between hummingbirds and woodpeckers. Makes sense, since members of both taxa use the tongue to reach far into the preferred food source. I felt so sad for the little Tyrian Metaltail in the photo, trying in vain to nectar from the trumpet vine. Long tongue, but not quite long enough!

The split at the tip of the tongue was also a revelation to me. I found the video model showing how a hummingbird draws nectar from a flower to be instructive.

The comparison between the flight adaptations of the raven and of the hummingbird also gave me a better understanding of how hummingbirds are capable of hovering and backward flight.

As far as surprises, well, I'm glad I don't daily have to drink my body weight's equivalent of anything in order to survive. Or eat 300 bags of potato chips every day--ewwwww!

Torpor was something that I knew absolutely nothing about. That was absolutely fascinating!

I didn’t realize that they could cool down at night to conserve energy.

Didn’t know they ate spiders !

What surprised me is how much time they spend in torpor.  Also, they seem to have tongues that are similar to woodpeckers'.

I am surprised to learn that only 10% of their diet is protein, with the rest being sugar from nectar and maybe sap wells.

I am amazed at the low body temperature they maintain during torpor. I have also,  wondered what the anatomy of their wings were. It is interesting to see how their wings share the skeletal of the human arm, but in different proportions.

I'm amazed at the diversity of hummingbirds and how many different species there are.

The way hummingbirds drink nectar is fascinating! And the way their wing anatomy is designed is just incredible.

Lots of surprises here.  Length of tongue, torpor, nectar robbing....Wow!  These birds are fascinating.

I did not know a hummingbird had to feed as often as every few hours.
I knew they could use torpor at night to conserve energy, but I did not realize how low their body temperature goes in that state!

I had heard about torpor, but didn’t know it was so deep. No reply is necessary.

Their tongues wrap around their heads like woodpeckers. Torpor with infared cameras is amazing.

I had no idea that their body temperature can vary so drastically. How does that compare with other birds?