Living in San Diego, I have seen many pelicans migrations in groups. When hummingbirds migrate, do they fly in groups as well?

• They carry the usual things to a tiny, sugar-fueled, jjewel-like extreme. I didn’t know that the females are basically single moms, and hadn’t thought about how much female choice drives the appearance of the males. I now have an added motivation to replace lawn with wildflowers!

The migration portion was fairly common to me due to the high number of bird watchers posting Anna's and Ruby-throated seasonal changes, but not the change in altitude migrations in the other species, which made sense with the seasonal shift for higher altitude flowering plants.  The neotropical species having a smaller home range makes sense not to expend precious energy migrating if the food is readily available nearby.  Curious about how the over gulf migration goes, do they have to build up a reserve of energy a few days before attempting or is their endurance that strong to just push through the fly over?

I have always been fascinated by the nest - it's the stuff of fairy tales. This course answered one of my burning questions. Ruby-throated Hummingbirds actually pack on fat. That's a radical adaption I would think in the hummingbird universe.

Of course, they do what most birds do. They feed, rest, preen, breed, and may migrate, too. But they have many particularities due to their unique feeding habits, which rely mostly on flower nectar.  Their high metabolism, daily use of torpor, awesome colors, and hovering flight further set them apart. What an amazing creature! (Photo: Fandanguero Morado Campylopterus hemileucurus, Guerrero, Mexico).

It seems like hummingbirds have to feed a lot more often, compared to other birds, to keep themselves alive, due to the fact that they are almost constantly moving and their energy expenditure is so high. It's also quite something that such small birds can make such significant migration journeys!

Continued . . .

Now that I am aware that Ruby-throated Hummingbirds have been know to drink from the sap wells of Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, I will have to keep a lookout for this behaviour; especially at times of the year when flowers are less abundant.

une migration pour trouver de la nourriture mais une distance phénoménale pour certains compte tenu de leur petite taille

It’s interesting to see how the Cornell Lab of Ornithology is using Nest Watch and eBird data to create map animations of hummingbird migration routes.

After several years of watching birds in our neighbourhood and backyard we have noticed that some birds (eg. Dark-eyed Juncos), migrate north at the same time each spring and their return reminds us that winter is approaching. It’s comforting to feel the rhythm of the seasons.

Hummingbirds are extraordinary creatures. They did not mention much about their territorial behavior or how some species establish mating display areas, or leks. I was also surprised by the materials they use to build their nests and by their remarkable survival strategies.

It's awesome how Hummingbirds can do such long migrations.

Lots of common behaviors like preening, displays, and migration are common to the birds I see everyday.  The flight  abilities/mechanics of hummingbirds are unique, as are their feeding behaviors and adaptations.  The ability of the males to use sunlight to flash their colors is remarkable.

They just seem to be unique and awesome in just about every way.... except for the common, lazy males who leave the housework to the females...

the nightly torpor, hovering, body anatomy, small size, adapted beaks are specialized

female solo nestbuilding, nestling care

courtship, mating, migration, preening, behaviors are similar

This question is about Torpor.  If a hummingbird lives in the tropics with daily temperatures in the 90s and even 100s, is the bird able to cool itself to maximum topor?  Are they using less energies because of the higher daily temperature which is closer to their normal daily body temperature?  Rose

In Pennsylvania, we have many hummingbirds in the summer and they feed voraciously shortly before leaving in late September. What a journey they have. Then all winter we have chickadees and titmice and they feed so much? Both sets of birds need lots of food!  I have yet to see a ruby-throated hummingbird nest but I did see a nest in Colorado--a little over an inch in diameter with 2 tiny eggs inside, just on the edge of a hiking trail. What a life style!

They nest, they feed their young and they fly long distances, as some other birds. They rely on camouflage for their nests. I think the torpor is something unique, but I don't know. They feed on nectar and that is not so common for other birds. The humming birds is a really diverse group. A big number of bird species can live together, some times they compete, but must of the time they can share the place with other humming birds. In many other birdspecies you will find one or two members of the same family on a place, and never more than ten.

The courtship dive of the male Anna's Hummingbird immediately reminded me of the male American Woodcock's sky dance. Just as in hummingbirds, the male woodcock plays no role in nesting or rearing the young, but unlike hummingbirds, the woodcock is a ground-nester rather than a tree-nester.

I knew about the nesting materials favored by hummingbirds, but it didn't occur to me that the spiderwebs allow for flexibility and expansion of the nest as the nestlings grow. Even as tiny as the nestlings are, they still crowd that beautiful cup nest made by their mama as they grow into fledglings. (When I brush my cats, I put the removed cat hair into a suet feeder (without the suet!) for birds to use as nesting material. I've observed Black-capped Chickadees taking a billful of cat hair from this feeder, but I haven't yet seen a hummingbird do so.)

Much like other sexually dimorphic birds of the Eastern temperate forest, the female hummingbird sometimes has less eye-catching plumage than her male counterpart, in order not to draw attention to the nest. However, it seems that the strictly tropical hummingbirds often have more glamorously attired females than those who migrate to North American breeding grounds. Perhaps this is because they can blend in with the showy tropical flora that characterizes their habitat.

Hummingbirds are so unique with their vibrant colors, different songs and their ability to fly all directions.

Hummingbirds' speed and color are more impressive than most other birds. I am impressed by their elaborate courtship dances and would like to observe them at some point. They lay eggs in nests which is similar to other birds but they are so much smaller.

it is surprising to me that hummingbirds can make nectar such a large part of their diet. I understand that they eat some insects for protein and fat, but I don’t understand why they don’t need more proteins and fats in their diet like other birds.

it is amazing that hummingbirds can travel such long distances when it seems their body is so tiny they can hardly store that much energy. The key must be in how efficiently their muscles use their energy, but I don’t know how it’s possible.

Humming bird migration is very similar to the red wing blackbird that I observe in the New England area.

So happy to see them. In March.  I know Spring is near.

Other birds also migrate based on available food sources. Hummingbird nest structure seems somewhat unique compared to other birds. I love how they use spider webs to solidify the nest and allow it to stretch. This shows how everything is connected in an ecosystem. I think hummingbirds are also unique in their diet and the way they eat. You don't see other birds hovering at flowers!

I think their lives reflect many other species of birds. It is remarkable that they are able to do it with such tiny, gorgeous bodies.