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Basic Facts About Hummingbirds
Zoe Ann Hinds
Do you know what type bird is known as the smallest bird in the world? Or what type bird can live in the wild to be five or six years old? The answer to both of these questions is the hummingbird. Even if you aren't an avid bird watcher, many people have seen a hummingbird before and wish to attract them to their yard. This article will provide you with some general information on hummingbirds and how to attract them to your yard.
There are about 16 species of hummingbirds in the U.S. and Canada. It was traditionally thought that Ruby-throated Hummingbirds were the only Hummingbird found east of the Mississippi River. Recent bird banding research has documented 11 other species of hummingbirds in the east. Most of these are wandering vagrants. During the past few years, sightings of the Rufous Hummingbirds have become much more frequent. If you wish to find out more about the birds thhat have been sighted in your area, you can check with your local Wild Birds Unlimited store, if there is one in your area.
Hummingbirds are very small birds that have a high metabolism. Because they expend so much energy flying and are almost constantly in motion, hummingbirds must feed almost constantly. Hummingbirds can consume up to 50% of their weight in sugar (nectar solution) each day. They usually feed on nectar and insects. Hummingbirds actually lap up the nectar with their tongues. It is commonly thought by many people that hummingbirds have a hollow tongue like a straw. Their tongues do have grooves on the sides that collect nectar. When the bill constricts, the hummingbird can swallow the nectar from flowers and feeders.
Hummingbirds are able to perch and will do so at feeders regularly. They have poorly developed feet and they can barely walk at all, due to the fact that they fly so much. The hummingbird is much more comfortable in flight.
The flight of hummingbirds is amazing to watch and these birds can put on quite an aerial display. Some of the displays are courtship displays while other displays are aggressive. Hummingbirds are able to fly up, down, forward, backward and sideways. They can stop in midair. Hummingbirds can beat their wings 60 to 200 times per second. They can fly up to 60 miles per hour. Hummingbirds fly great distances when they are migrating. The Ruby-throated Hummingbird migrates approximately 600 miles across the Gulf of Mexico.
It is not necessary to take down feeders to force the birds to fly south. They will migrate. If hummingbirds are sticking around, it could be because they are sick or injured. Some experts recommend leaving the feeder up with a spot light (150 watt bulb) on the feeder to keep the nectar from freezing). It is not necessary to ‘fly’ the birds south. There is no garuntee in nature that all birds will survive.
If you wish to attract hummingbirds to your yard there are many things you can do that will help you accomplish this. You can do so by planting red flowers and putting up a hummingbird feeder. You can tie some red ribbons to the pole where the feeder hangs. Use a four-part water to one-part sugar solution to fill the feeder. You need not add any color or vitamins to the nectar solution. Hummingbirds can also be attracted to a reliable water source such as a mister or dripper.
The hummingbird is a fairly common bird that many people have seen before and it is a bird that many people can enjoy seeing in their own backyard. I hope the information contained in this article has helped educate you about the hummingbird and that now you will want to try and attract them to your own backyard.
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