I have learned so much! The explanation of their iridescence - melanosome of different thickness within barbules was astounding. The fact that their tongues wrap around their brains and how they get the nectar inside their tongues was new to me. I hope the course will explain how they feed during migration, and what do they feed their chicks - nectar or insects or both? Great course!

Yes! many facts- only found in Western Hemisphere , short legs, torpor stage to conserve energy, how they fly/hover,  how iridescent coloration works.  This has been a wonderful course.

The explanation of iridescence was really interesting

I was surprised at the very low temperature during torpor.

I didn't know that they have forked tongues and that they wrap around their brain. Wild!

Really, these little sprites are astounding! I have always loved birds but had no idea about these interesting details that are mind boggling!  Fascinating, that they eat sap too and the fact that they go into a torper state is amazing!How do they manage migration without eating? Can’t wait to learn more! I just sent this class to my sister who is recovering from surgery for an early birthday present!

Pretty much everything, apart from the heart rate.  The diet of 90% sugar to 10% protein was a shocker - I had no idea it was a sugar-intensive as it is, even though the birds' activity clearly requires an astonishing amount of fuel.  I was unaware of their torpid state, though I've often watched a territorial Ruby-throated female roosting on the pine tree by my front door.  She's largely motionless but always clearly awake.  The multi-layer refraction structure of the barbules, though - WHOA!  How'd they work that out without a design consultant?  "No, not yet, Henry.  I need more yellow."  I'll never cease to be amazed by evolution.

I like to keep my nectar in the fridge.  I will get it out awhile before I refill their feeders.  I had read somewhere that it is not good for them to drink it cold but I mainly think that is when temperatures start getting really cool towards the fall.  It is hard for them to bring their temperature back up from torpor.  I didn't see that in this video but maybe it will be in another.would like to know more about that as I would hate to hurt them in any way.

The migration south they accomplish is amazing as well as all the different types and beautiful names that describe them

When I am outside gardening, I usually hear the hummingbird before I see it (because my attention is on the task). Now I know how that buzzing sound is produced through the amazing structure of the wings and their motions - creating lift on the downstroke and upstroke. Fascinating.

The bone and muscle structure in the hummingbird is fascinating and their placement of the tongue when not in use is amazing.  It was kind of funny because as I was watching this part of the program I saw a ruby throated hummingbird visiting our flowers and I had to pause and watch the wings and the way they hovered.  I am able to look at them so differently now.

They are fascinating birds and their anatomical features that you have described are amazing. Vivid iridescence and how it works is really cool. The wing make-up was not as surprising as the 2 muscles and % of mitochondria. It makes sense, but it's incredible that some 2-3 gram creatures would look like bodybuilders without their feathers. Their tongues are amazing in every way. The sap sucking and nectar robbing were surprising behaviors, coming from ignorance. it's interesting that hummingbirds and downy woodpeckers are very comfortable feeding near each other at my backyard feeders. The torpor makes sense, but leads to a bunch of questions. Doesn't it leave them very vulnerable at their nests (but if thermally neutral, maybe not to snakes)? What's it like for the females to be raising chicks? Don't they draw potentially more attention to the nest when the moms are vulnerable in torpor? What's the timing of raising them, before they go out on their own? What's the behavior of the chicks that leads to body temperature and temperature controlling methods. Do they have a higher protein to nectar diet than adults?

I think what surprised me were some of the statistics and facts shared in this lesson. For instance, I knew hummingbirds needed to rest or conserve energy, but I didn't know that this could account for about 75% of their day. I also found it interesting to learn what it takes for hummingbirds to be able to fly and hover to do their daily tasks, as it was more complicated than I thought.

I am concerned about how do Hummingbirds deal with bees.