The female is left with the job of building the nest, incubating the eggs and raising the young birds. Hummingbirds do not "pair up" as do many birds, but instead the male and female go their own way after mating is complete. The record age of a banded Ruby-Throated hummingbird is 6 years, 11 months. Most deaths occur in the first year of life. The average life span of a Ruby-Throated hummingbird is estimated by experts to be 3 - 5 years.
Strong head winds, hurricanes, and cold fronts are difficult to fly through. Migration is always a challenge for hummingbirds, who must fly huge distances to live in an environment that is warm and has a plentiful food supply. Hummingbirds migrate in the spring, and again in the fall. Plus, other man-made obstacles such as ecosystem destruction and the use of pesticides have a negative impact on hummingbird populations.
RUBY THROATED HUMMINGBIRD PREDATORS PRAYING MANTIS WINDOWS
And hummers have to navigate around houses, telephone poles, glass windows and buildings. Young hummingbirds must deal with rain, hail, cold weather, wind, snakes, squirrels, cats, dogs, ants and larger birds. Hummingbirds, like all wildlife, can be victims of natural as well as man-made hazards. Each species has its own "language" to alert other hummers or to challenge "invaders" of their feeding territories. Hummingbirds have a variety of calls, chips, chatters and squeals to communicate with each other. This can happen in cold weather, and the metabolic rate can drop to 1/5 of normal. Hummingbirds have the ability to go into a deep resting period, called "torpor", in which their respiration and heart rate become very slow. Their average speed in direct flight is in the range of 20-30mph, and up to three times that fast during courtship dives. However, during migration as they cross the Gulf of Mexico they may cover up to 500 miles at a time. Research indicates a hummingbird can travel as much as 23 miles in one day. The ability to hover allows the hummingbirds to sip the nectar of plants and flowers.Ī hummingbird can't walk or hop, but can shuffle with its extremely short legs, which are not very strong. They are the only bird species that can hover, and fly backwards, or even upside down. The beat of their wings is so rapid, up to 55 times a second, that a "humming" sound is produced, and the wings appear blurred. Hummingbirds staunchly and aggressively defend a feeding area, or feeder, even when not feeding. Many plant species rely on hummingbirds for pollination and provide nectar and tiny insects in exchange. Hummingbirds feed in many small meals, consuming small invertebrates and up to twelve times their own body weight in nectar each day. Their diet consists of nectar from flowers (red is the favorite color), small insects such as aphids and spiders, and sometimes even pollen and sap. Broad-billed Hummingbird (Photo courtesy of the author)
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