The Cornell Lab Bird Academy › Discussion Groups › The Wonderful World of Hummingbirds › How Hummingbirds Rule the Nectar World
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I was not aware that hummingbirds go into torpor, and was under the impression that Hummingbirds needed to stay flying most of the day to consume all the nectar they needed to survive. I knew Hummingbirds consumed a lot of nectar over the course of the day, and that they had incredibly high metabolic rates, to accommodate their incredibly fast wing speeds. I was also not aware that certain species of hummingbirds consumed spiders. This was a surprise because I thought that a hummingbirds beak was like a straw or proboscis on an insect, and that it could not open wide at all.
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I was totally surprised by the fact that a hummer's bill opened so wide. I knew they ate insects and spiders but hadn't given much thought to how they did this! Also I have noticed our Ruby-throated hummers coming to the corner of the house.....spiders webs are there, didn't think about the bird actually taking insects from the web.
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The past few summers here in Missouri I've noticed hummingbirds hanging around the tall cyclone fence that surrounds a tennis court on the nearby college campus. At first I wondered if the fence was a barrier to the bird. Then I saw that bird seemed to be gleaning something from the wires of the fence. I wracked my brain trying to think of what it could be that attracted the hummers and finally noticed spider webs strung across the openings. I thought it was possible but unlikely that they were actually robbing the spider's pantry. Olwen's comment got me thinking. Then I watched the video "Hummingbirds are Just Like Other Birds," and about 2 minutes in a humming plucks a tiny spider from its web. So amazingly adaptable!
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@Anne That sounds like a sight to see!
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Enjoyed the tongue and mechanisms to drink nectar
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I knew that hummingbirds are one of the smallest bird species in the world and how they love to eat nectar and at night they go through torpor. There is a quite bit of things I learned in this course but I’ll give out a couple. Not only is the wing autonomy of the hummingbirds different than other birds that I knew already, but the leg autonomy. Other birds are able to walk but when it comes to the hummingbirds, they can only perch and rest 75% of the day which I thought hummingbirds seem to only rest mostly in the night. The most fascinating I learned about hummingbirds is how their feather structure is like all over their bodies and gorget. Their feathers are flat like flat disks that are piled on top of one another that can go up to 12 layers depending on what genetic species of hummingbirds. The melanosomes are the key to have the light absorb or reflect off the feathers that we love and fascinate to this day. Absolutely amazing knowing the science behind that.
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Turpor surprised me. I didn't know about that. And it is good to know it now, because now I won't worry about what happens to the hummingbirds I see when night comes, or when there is a long rainstorm. They are safely in a protected spot in turpor!
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One thing I find exciting today is that we have much more sophisticated instruments to study physiological attributes. Back when I was studying ecology and evolutionary biology the use of computers was still beyond the average researcher. This was in the 80's (took me a while to get back to school). I think the work being done at Cornell on avian physiology and the subject of torpor is certainly adding to our understanding of how animals deal with the daily challenges of survival.
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I suspect that more people are interested in the incredible studies going on these days and that helps funding. Back in the 70s people still thought studying animal behavior was useless and nonsense!
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The torpor state is very interesting! I wonder if there are other advantages aside from preserving energy and nutritive stores. Is UV camouflaging a thing?! Would predators be less likely to find them during torpor?
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I knew that hummingbirds went into torpor at night, but I had no idea how cold they get! I also appreciated the explanation of how the structure of the feathers produces such brilliant colors. Again, something I knew about superficially, but I never understood the details.
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As someone who lives in the Southern Hemisphere I don't see Hummingbirds except when I travel but the number of species is amazing & so many are so beautiful. The number of ways evolution has produced organisms to exploit different survival opportunities is truely mindblowing. Hummingbirds exhibit a number of very interesting features from physical structure (bills & bones) & flight to the physics of feathers & appearance. A truly magnificent group of birds which I enjoyed learning about. My garden receives visits from some of our most attractive birds (King Parrots, Rainbow Lorikeets, Crimson & Eastern Rosellas, Kookaburras, Cockatoos, Butcherbirds, Currawongs, Bronzewing, Satin Bowerbird + many more. We are very fortunate to be able to see such beautiful birds in spite of there being no hummingbirds.
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Yes, you have your own beautiful and unique species which we never see in N. America.
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I was surprised to hear from the video that in hummingbirds there is no bend in the wing during the upstroke but that the wing flips over, so the bird also generates lift on the upstroke. Looking at other birds fly I always saw this wing bend and assume because hummingbirds are so small and fast wing-beaters I could not see the wings bend.
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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!
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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.
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The explanation of iridescence was really interesting
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I was surprised at the very low temperature during torpor.
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I didn't know that they have forked tongues and that they wrap around their brain. Wild!
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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!
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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.
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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.
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I wonder about the temperature of the sugar water too. I try to put it out at room temp but in the summer heat, even in the shade, I know it's getting pretty warm. I do change much more often in the heat.
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The migration south they accomplish is amazing as well as all the different types and beautiful names that describe them
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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.
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Yes! I've looked up and found them checking me out closely. I like to believe that they are saying "Hi and thanks for the great grub."
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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.
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I agree this is so interesting !
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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?
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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.
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agreed, and well put
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I am concerned about how do Hummingbirds deal with bees.
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I noticed that they avoid them but I have seen them perch on the other side of the feeder from the bees. I've read that they do get stung and it is mostly fatal. Not sure where I read that or how accurate that comment was.
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