My son and his family live in Atlanta – about 500 miles from Charlottesville. We think that’s a ‘fer piece, but a hummingbird would think nothing of making that kind of trip. Hummingbirds, you see, fly some 3,000 miles across the Gulf of Mexico for their winter migration, and they’re packing right now, getting ready to leave. The tiniest bird in our backyard, is without a doubt, the most interesting.
Did you know:
– There are more than 300 species of hummingbirds throughout the world, but for the most part, only one species in Virginia – the Ruby Throated Hummingbird. The male has the purplish throat while the female lacks the throat patch.
– The brilliant colors of the tiny birds do not come from feathers, but rather from iridescence in the arrangement of their feathers.
– Hummingbirds are the only birds that can fly backwards, but they can’t walk or hop. They can scoot sideways when perched on a limb and they can also use their tiny feet to scratch itchy places.
– Speaking of tiny, a really fat hummingbird weighs three grams. It would take five hummers to equal the weight of one chickadee.
– The humming noise you hear when one approaches is created by their wings, flapping some 60 times per second. Think about that – 60 times every single second!
– A hummingbird can reach forward speeds of up to 30 miles an hour, but when diving, that rate doubles.
– Hummers have between 1,000 and 1,500 feathers, fewer by far than any other bird, but the lack of feathers and less weight, make it easier for them to fly
– Hummingbirds can have up to two broods per year. The tiny nests have two small eggs, measuring less than a half-inch in length, smaller than a jelly bean.
– A hummingbird must consume about half of its body weight per day to survive. They are sugar-holics, needing the quick energy sugar provides. They do, however, eat some small insects and spiders to supplement their nectar-based diets.
– Hummers have no sense of smell, but they have keen eyesight.
– The little fellows are very aggressive for their size, and will attack jays, crows and even hawks, which many encroach on their territories.
– The peak migration period is from mid-July through September. We usually see our backyard hummers into early October, then they vamoose. Some say that by leaving the feeders out, that encourages the hummers to overstay their welcome and dangerously delays migrations, but that’s been disproven. Hummers leave when they are good and ready, feeders or not.
So it looks like we have another couple of weeks to share our backyards with one of the most interesting creatures in the entire universe.