The surprising hummingbird travels the countries of America to escape the low temperatures. It can fly more than 3,000 kilometers and search for areas of warm weather. One of its varieties is the smallest bird in the world, although this does not prevent it from dazzling with its beautiful colors. It’s the hummingbird zuncito or elf of bees, which weighs only 2.5 grams.
There are 343 different types, all of which have their small size and diverse and beautiful colors in common. The largest species of hummingbird is the giant hummingbird, which weighs only 20 grams. They feed on pollen, sap, and small insects that they get on flowers. They have no sense of smell, which is why they let the colors of the flowers guide them. The color that attracts them most is that of the red flowers.
But the hummingbird has some characteristics that are the reasons why they are most attractive and surprising
- Your fly
- How it feeds
- The singing
The flight of the amazing hummingbird is fascinating
Their wings are very different from those of the rest of the birds. Because of this, they can do things that other birds cannot. They can fly back and forth in a straight line, up and down, they can even do it upside down.
Biologists and experts need very special equipment in order to record and examine their movements. The hummingbird is extremely fast and it is necessary to slow down the footage to analyze its movements. With the naked eye, the human eye cannot see the details of your flight.
Its wings are very strong and allow the hummingbird to stay in the air for a long time. This favors them because their legs are weak and they cannot stand on them for long. Their movements when flying are very fast and are not repeated in any other bird.
They analyze how the hummingbird eats
Until recently it was believed that the hummingbird exploited capillary action. They thought that because of this action, the food was sticking to their tongue. However, thanks to the use of powerful high definition cameras, they managed to take pictures through the flowers and they found that this belief was not true.
The tongue of the hummingbird is long and tubular. When it comes in contact with food, the tongue transforms and looks like a viper’s tongue. This way, it catches the food and only releases it into the hummingbird’s mouth. It is not known if other birds use the same feeding method.
They sing to seduce the hummingbird of the opposite sex
They discover that their song mates and that only individuals of the same species can hear it. The melody is an ultrasonic ballad that only you can hear. So far they have confirmed this quality in a single species of hummingbird. It is the Chimborazo hummingbird that was found in the Ecuadorian Andes.
It’s like it’s its own audio channel as the other birds can’t hear it either. They are the only birds that communicate with each other in this way. Owls also use ultrasonic sounds to identify and capture prey.
