The wing structure and motion are very different as is their ability to go into torpor at night, their extremely small size and very high metabolism. But they build nests to raise their young, have feathers, preen to keep them clean, sometimes eat insects, have lekking males, sing, have sexual dimorphism, and migrate so they are solidly a bird! Very fun lecture series!!

The way they evolved to fly as they do fly, their diet, their iridescence in most of the cases, and their nightly torpor.

The abundance maps are fantastic!  I live in NY so I get to see the ruby throated hummingbird each year.  All birds benefit from native plants.  I am replacing old gardens with native plants in my yard for hummingbirds and other birds too.   Hummingbirds differ from other birds since they are only found in the Americas.  Why are there no hummingbirds in other parts of the world?  I have read that the oldest hummingbird fossil was found in Germany.  Why did they vanish from that part of the world?

Their need to fuel every 15 minutes is astounding and scary… they do live their lives on a razor thin edge! Plus throw in the fact that there are so many predators around along with competition for flowers with other birds and insects… it’s not easy being a hummingbird! The main difference in their wing structure and the ability to generate lift in both the strokes was fascinating. Also their fast heart rates and metabolism to fuel such high speeds of flapping. The rufous hummingbirds make the longest migration per body length of any bird and that’s pretty amazing!

Many differences ; the most impressive for me is how they can manage with their circulatory and metabolic behavior . I have a question regarding torpor… how frequently they do?? Very impressive for me too is how colour change depending temperature unfortunately we don’t have hummingbirds in Spain but I have had the opportunity of entourage them in Ecuador, Mexico, Colombia…. Is so easy help them… amayzing creatures!!

The migration of hummingbirds is similar to other birds. The aspect that stood out to me as different was making nests from spiders webs.

Hummingbirds are similar to all birds in that they have wings and feathers, skeletal structures that allow them to fly. The also need to eat, mate and build nests for the eggs they too lay. While known to be built for pollinating they eat bugs like other birds too. Their size, wing structure and movements make them different from other birds. They can hover and fly backwards whereas other birds cannot. They also enter a state of torpor to conserve their much-needed energy at night. As a part of my attempt to manage facial pain I use mindfulness photography of hummingbirds in our local gardens. At the same time, I was photographing this hummingbird, a mockingbird was pecking bees off the large golden sunflowers in the background, the differences were noticeable, however they both acquired the nourishment they needed to sustain themselves from the same garden.

impressed with the migration maps

Hummingbird - Nest on Hanging Male Fern (Helecho Macho Colgante). Hummingbirds choose a spot with an overhanging leaf for protection from predators, sun and rain. Photo: Nest - constructed as a cup shaped nest a the top a Hanging Male Fern.

Hummingbird - Nest on Hanging Male Fern (Helecho Macho Colgante). Hummingbirds use spider webs in her nest construction, adds lichens and other plants materials to the outside of her woven nest as camouflage.

I have Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds where I live; their migration is similar to the Indigo Buntings.

are there any humming birds that migrate beteween North/central America AND South America?

Learning that the nest can expand to accommodate the babies as they grow larger was interesting to me.

I've read that Rosy-Finches in Colorado exhibit altitudinal migration like some Hummingbirds.  It's interesting that some Hummingbirds, like some other birds fly north on a different route then south.  They are almost certainly not the only species to do it but I find it really cool that some Ruby-throated Hummingbirds fly over the Gulf of Mexico while others fly around it.

I have often observed the male Ruby-throats doing their spectacular courtship dives to impress a female. But then the same males will aggressively chase the female away from the nearby feeder. So I imagine her saying to her suitors, "Hey buddy, if you want me to choose you, how about letting me eat?"

In their migration they are similar to warblers.  The hummingbird that migrates north from the southern tip of South America during the non breeding season was interesting. The males do not help raise the chicks, unlike birds such as Northern Cardinals where the males are active participants.

Their migration is incredible! Plus I loved the photos of the various nests - fascinating where they build them. I only hope the babies in the nest on the lock and chain survived.

In general hummingbirds are more similar to other birds than not.  It seems one of the major differences is the way they use their wings to fly.

I knew that males do not participate in raising young. The degree of sexual dimorphism and "flashiness" of the males is often indicative of this parental arrangement, e.g. grouse, ducks, and birds of paradise males also display little/no participation in raising young. Often, when both parents participate, the degree of sexual dimorphism is less, sometimes to the point where both species look the same (monomorphism), e.g. Canada goose, crows, and sparrows. Note in these cases, the plumage is more muted or camouflaged, to protect the bird(s) sitting on the nest (like most female hummingbirds!). So, I was quite surprised to learn that there are SOME species of hummingbirds that do NOT display sexual dimorphism...and in some photos that were shown, the females were very flashy!! I am wondering what the purpose of that iridescent plumage would be for females - is there female competition? It certainly would not be beneficial as the sole nest incubator, vulnerable to predation.

I had heard before that hummingbirds used spiderwebs to build nests, but seeing the various photos made it really clear why. So smart to build an expandable and camouflageable nest!

The lifestyle of hummingbirds include courtships (dancing and vocalizations), nesting (expanding nests) and young.  Hummingbirds flight patterns are different as well as a speed which no other bird species has.  Ruth

I think its so cool that the nests expand in size as the chicks grow!

I was surprised to find that hummingbirds have way more similarities than differences, when compared with other birds in my backyard. One big difference I find is the way they feed of nectar.  I found that fascinating.

The aerodynamics of their flying is fascinating to me.  They are able to maneuver in ways that other birds can't.

There don't seem to be any significant differences from other birds that various other birds also have with each other.  The many variations within Aves showcase just how well birds have evolved the variously take care of their various needs.