These plush hummingbirds include Nectar
(above) a Ty Beanie Baby, now retired, and at left is a ruby
throated hummingbird made by Wild Repubic. It is a Cuddlekins
Hummingbird. The Cuddlekins Hummer might be in the Gift
Shop. Click on the link to find out.
THERE are 320 species of this smallest
of all birds. They are confined to the Americas and constitute
the 
family
Trochilidae. Both the swifts and hummingbirds belong to the order
Apodiformes.
The hummingbird's range is from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego and
from lowlands up to the snow line at 16,000 feet in Ecuador.
The area where the species is most abundant is in the subtropical
zone of Columbia and Ecuador. 133 species can be found in Columbia.
There are 18 species in the United States.
Hummingbirds are most well known for their rainbow colors and
the brilliant iridescent plumage of the males. They have short
legs and small feet, narrow wings and long primary feathers.
The rapid wing beat, seen as a blur, may be as much as 90 or
more beats per second, which produces a loud humming sound. The
highly specialized bill is slender, usually straight, from 1/3
inch to 5 inches long. The tubular tongue probes flowers for
tiny insects and nectar as the bird hovers in mid-air. Only the
hummer is capable of true backward flight. The voice is a rasping
series of notes.
The nest is a little cup of plant down held together with plant
fibers and spider webs. Some species use bits of lichens. The
nest is less than one inch across the opening. Two tiny elliptical
white eggs are laid. The female, alone, protects the eggs and
young. It takes about two weeks to hatch the young. Born blind
and naked, they are fully feathered and ready to leave the nest
in three weeks.
Hummingbirds are generally loners, coming together with the opposite
sex for the few seconds it takes to mate. Many hummers are fiercely
territorial, having impressive aerial battles. They also have
no fear of humans, approaching them at will. They will also defend
their nests with the same fearless attitude.
The birds appear to be attracted to the color red and can be
attracted to feeders containing honey or red-colored sugar water.
Hummers are important pollinators of flowers, and they are almost
the only birds in the New World that take on the role of an insect.
The smallest bird in the world is the bee hummingbird (Mellisuga
helenae) of Cuba, with a 2-inch-long body and weighing less
than 2 grams. Its nest cavity measures a mere 3/4-inch across
and the eggs are only 3/10-inch long. The largest hummingbird
is Patagona gigas of the Andes, which is 8 inches long.
Some species, like the Ruby-throated Hummingbird
(Archilochus colubris) of eastern North America are migratory.
It winters in Panama. Ruby-throated
Hummingbirds are one of the few migratory bird species whose
population is actually increasing--by approximately 1.5% per
year in the United States. According to US Fish & Wildlife
Service biologists, this is due in large part to people who have
made food sources readily available to hummingbirds. Hummingbird
gardens, nectar feeders and restored habitats give the tiny birds
the extra boost of energy they need to continue on their way.
Ruby-throated Hummingbirds (Archilochus colubris) are the only
hummingbird species which breed east of the Mississippi. They
are only about 3 1/2 inches long and weigh a fraction of an ounce.
Their primary food supply is nectar, which they drink by reaching
deeply into flowers with their long and strong tongues. To stay
alive, Ruby-throats, must visit thousands of flowers each day
to obtain enough food. To save energy, Ruby-throats often enter
an almost dormant state at night---their metabolism dropping
by as much as 90%! More information on the Ruby-throated Hummingbird
can be found at: http://www.learner.org/jnorth/fall1997/1997september8.html.
The Broad-tailed Hummingbird (Selasphorus platycercus)
(pictured above) is similar to the Ruby-throated Hummingbird.
This feathered jewel has a rose-colored throat and rounded tail.
One unusual characteristic of this hummer is its habit of using
the same tree or bush to nest in year after year. Its range is
from the Eastern California mountains, Idaho, the Great Basin,
the Rocky Mountain States and south to Mexico.
We have some beautiful Cloisonne Hummingbirds
in our Gift Shop.
