I have learned so much with this course! Everything is fascinating about these tiny creatures!

I was amazed at how the hummingbird’s tongue works and rests when not in use. I loved to hear about how they get into a torpor to save energy.

Torpor fascinates me. I have only seen hummingbirds cone to my feeder or the Trumpeter Vine.  The hummingbirds would be vulnerable to predatory birds when in a torpor state. Can their feet clutch a branch to perch.

That they could die so quickly without nourishment

It never occurred to me that the bone composition and structure were similar to humans. It certainly makes sense but I never thought about it. Another fascinating item was the mechanics of how the hummingbird wing works in order to hover.

Absolutely, I was amazed at how their tongues are structured and how they work, I've seen them put out their tongues many times before, but never even imagined how they sip with them.

Also the way in which they move their wings, what an incredible adaptation.

The iridescence topic was also eye opening.

Yes! I continue learning many things about these fabulous birds. For example, I didn't knew that hummingbird's diet was 90% of nectar and only 10% of insects and anthropods. Also, the last lesson talking about how these birds cool down their body temperature at night to save energy is amazing.

I was amazed to learn about how their tongues work! Such incredible design! It makes more sense now on how they are able to drink nectar. I think it is also cool how their tongue curls around their skull in a way similar to wood peckers.

All very fascinating. Amazing birds.

I didn't realize the variety of bills and sizes of hummingbirds, the diversity is amazing! I also didn't realize that hummingbirds spent so much time not flying (75%!) and learning about Torpor was facinating! I also loved learning about the difference in a hummingbirds anatomy compared to an average bird; their wings are amazing!

yes many things suprised me

There are a number of points that were unique to this bird and  not only surprised me but were amazing:

1. How they use their wings to hover and how they have to do so to maintain flight

2. The size of the wing muscle

3. How much they have to consume per day to remain alive

4.How they consurve their energy-lowering their temp and drop into a condition lower than sleep

5. How their tongue works and where the long tounge is inside their head

AMAZING!

yes. how does the sword-billed hummingbird groom itself with such a long bill?

I was not aware of the temperature change from day to night - makes so much sense, but still amazing!   I also loved learning about their body structure and how they can maintain the ability to hover.

I found the information about the structure and length of the tongue to be absolutely fascinating! Having watched Anna's Hummingbirds at my feeders, I was aware their tongues were long but to think where they "keep" it when not in use, that is a whole different level of mindboggling. Thanks so much for all these videos!

I found the structure and use of their tongues to amaze me; I never knew they could unfurl like that!

I was amazed at their body composition- the size of their pectoral muscles and their hands! I imagined them as humans with the same proportions and that made me chuckle. Another striking fact was the amount of mitochondria in those pectoral muscles- makes sense given the energy required for hummingbirds to maintain flight. Oh, and the structure and function of their tongues- brilliant.

The changes in body temperature to accommodate their high daily metabolism are impressive. Also their 110 degree Fahrenheit daily active body temperature is much higher than the typical 105 degrees Fahrenheit in the birds I have worked on.
BT

I love hummingbirds, but the fact that really surprised me from this lesson was learning about their enlarged supracoracoideus and pectoralis muscles. I already knew these two muscles powered the downstroke and upstroke of bird flight, but did not realize that they took up 1/3 of a hummingbirds total weight. Even knowing that that their flight differs from other birds given their need to hover and fly backwards, it never occurred to me that such a small bird would have such huge flight muscles. Fascinating!

I was surprised by the various methods different hummingbirds use to feed and how cool the hummingbird’s body temperature can be during torpor.

I didn't know they ate insects as well as nectar.

Torpor - great lesson. I live in Southern Arizona. Where do hummingbirds "sleep" at night? Are they loners or do the roost in groups? How do they stay hidden from preditors?

Thanks for any answers. Loving this course!

 

 

I've been vaguely aware of the details about hummingbird lives and habits, based on what I know about the only hummingbird east of the rockies, the Ruby-throated.  So, learning more detail has been very exciting for me.  Tongue morphology and how hummingbirds eat is at the top of my list of new information.  When I watch my "Rubies" at the nectar feeder or hovering around my Northern Cardinal flowers, I'll be thinking of that little tongue splitting as it dips its tip in the nectar!  And I realize how evolution connects all animals on the family tree.  The hummingbird's tiny arm bones are identical to humans, is such a great example.

This section was fascinating! The anatomy of the hummingbird’s wing being different from other birds was so interesting. I never knew that was the reason for their very different flight pattern and ability to hover for so long. Cool! Also, the size of the flight muscles was amazing. I will definitely watch these little beauties with a more knowledgeable and interested eye!

This section has been amazing.  I have learned so much already from this course.  I did not realize there were so many structural differences to hummingbird wings and muscles that help them hover and fly.  I love how you have included diagrams as well as the descriptions to explain flight and also to explain how their tongues work.  I am amazed that the tongue wraps around the back of the head, and now will have a whole new respect for the process when hummingbirds return to my feeders next spring.

In regards to torpor, do other bird species use this strategy at night to survive?  Particularly those that return to the north in the early spring or stay all winter.  If so, which species use this adaptation?

I learned a lot in this section and I enjoyed it very much. I came away the following and some questions:

1) The use of Topor surprised me that hummingbirds 'hibernate' everyday. One question I had was in clarification.  Dr. Shanka mentioned that in sleep they can ruffle feathers, respond to outside stimuli; but in Torpor, they cannot do this until their body shuts down. My question is: do hummingbirds sleep and go into torpor? And how do they choose when to sleep and when to torpor?

2. The concepts of Lift, Thrust, and Drag have been hard for me to grasp, so I was grateful for the review and the great definitions. I feel a bit more confident in considering and talking about these topics

3. This is OBSCURE but I spent a good deal of time thinking about this. Regarding the differences in bill shape (sexually dimorphic) if the Purple-throated Carib does this mean:  The males feed the male chicks and the females feed the female chicks?  Do the males teach the male chicks which flowers to sip from and the females the female chicks? This little nugget of information got me going for a couple of days.

4. Finally, I really enjoyed learning about how they sip nectar by extending and extracting their very complex tongues. I guess, if I had been asked about hummingbird tongues - I would have guessed that they were very much like woodpecker tongues.

Overall, what has been great about this course so far is that I am learning about things I never considered before. It's fun.