A Little Bit More
Hummingbirds are extremely interesting birds and we’re fortunate that we can induce them to come to feeders. In the U.S. and Canada alone, there are 18 species that breed although only one, the Ruby-throated Hummingbird, breeds in the eastern half of the continent.
Hummingbirds have two basic strategies for feeding on insects. Their gleaning technique has them picking insects from plants as they forage about. And their hawking technique has them sitting on a branch and then zooming out to catch unsuspecting insects in midair. The nectar they obtain from flowers provides a ready source of quick energy but the insects and spiders they eat provide needed protein and other nutrients essential for growth and health.
Although hummingbird feeders often are purchased with a starter source of red-colored sugar, the birds do not need their sugar water colored and in fact, this may even be harmful. Colorful containers may be important, at least initially, in attracting the birds in the first place, but not their food. Studies conducted on the kind of sugar for hummers has shown that simple granulated cane sugar is just fine – mix four parts water to one part sugar. Honey should never be used as it ferments quickly when diluted and will kill hummingbirds. Imitation sugars that appear to be full of calories to the birds are also dangerous and should never be used. You can keep your feeder clean by not overfilling so that the birds quickly remove your sugar water. Periodically clean your unit with a mild chlorine bath every few times it’s filled. I usually do my cleaning overnight and replace first thing in the morning to reduce the amount of “down time” of my feeder.
Oh, and one more bit of information. Hummingbirds will NOT delay their fall migration if they have a full feeder to eat from – this is just a myth!
Activities
Science – Hummers
Objectives: Learn a bit more about hummingbirds
Materials: Library or internet
Hummingbirds are an especially interesting group of birds and have really gained popularity with hummingbird feeders. If you live in an area where hummingbirds nest, you have a good chance of seeing these little gems regularly by simply putting out a hummingbird feeder.
Since hummingbirds are so different from many of our “typical” birds, I think it would be helpful to discuss some of what makes these birds so interesting and unusual. I’ll provide some questions and answers and hope you can discuss some of this with your students. If you wish, you may want students to look up information on these questions first.
1. I’ve heard that hummingbirds can’t migrate long distances so instead, ride on the back of larger birds to get where they’re going. Is this true? Once people learned that birds migrate great distances to wintering and nesting areas, they were convinced that a tiny hummingbird couldn’t accomplish that kind of feat. So, common belief was that hummingbirds rode on the backs of larger bird to travel. We now know this is untrue and in fact these birds can and do migrate across the Gulf of Mexico for a distance of 500 or more miles.
2. Hummingbirds seem more like insects than birds. Are they at all related to insects? Hummingbirds are very much birds and not closely related to insects at all. There are some sphinx moths that are very hummingbird-like in appearance and this may have caused some confusion.
3. Are all hummingbirds small? The smallest is about 5cm (2”) and largest about 20cm (8”) so yes, they’re all quite small but they do vary a bit.
4. Do hummingbirds mate for life? No they don’t. Males establish territories and will pair with as many females as choose to visit their territory; they don’t really pair up.
5. Are hummingbird bills like little straws? Actually, the hummingbirds do not suck up nectar at all. They have a tongue with grooves in it and the nectar travels up these grooves into their mouth by capillary attraction – no sucking needed.
6. Do hummingbirds help with pollination? Yes, they do. The more tropical species are more active pollinators but many kinds can and do act as pollinators as they travel from one flower to another.
7. Do you have to have the color red to attract hummingbirds? Although red is a very attractive color for hummingbirds, other colors work too. Hummers visit all kinds and colors of flowers as they search for nectar, insects, and spiders to feed on.
Key Concepts
Adaptations and Diversity, Food Webs /Food Pyramids, Identification
Questions
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Posted by Suzanne Long on September 09, 2006 at 10:44 AM
Q: When do humming birds migrate from Michigan & where do they migrate to?
A: Michigan is a very "north-south" state so those in the upper peninsula should begin migration much sooner than those in the Detroit area. You'd have to ask people in your immediate area when they noticed that the hummers were no longer coming to their feeders to get a sense of when they left. I live in central New York state and as of Sept 11, still have some coming to my feeder but expect that soon, all will have gone south.
There is only one species, the Ruby-throated Hummingbird, that breeds in the eastern part of North America and these fly to the Yucatan peninsula each fall. "Your" birds migrate to southern Georgia or northern Florida where they stoke up on calories for a short while then head out over the Gulf of Mexico for a 500-600 mile nonstop flight to the Yucatan. Quite a feat for such a small bird.