Hummingbirds Living

The hummingbird are between the smallest birds that exist. The species of more limited size is the hummingbird "zunzuncito", that with his peak and tail it measures approximately six centimeters

Most of the hummingbirds present very showy plumage, generally metallic colors

A special feature of hummingbirds is their peak, which usually differs from species to species

The hummingbird peak of the eagle for example, has a peak that bends sharply down, while others have their peaks upward curve

Every peak represents a specialization to a certain type of Flower, which allows to the hummingbird in question, to occupy a particular ecological niche and thus to avoid the struggle with other species

In addition to his tiny size and beautiful coloring, the Hummingbirds, they differ between all the species, because it is the one that better dominates the art of flying.

They can fly backwards, ahead, or above or below, and there are the only ones that can be supported in the air in the same place.

They fly fluttering to a high frequency, from 70 to 80 times per second

To wake up the interest of the female, the male realizes a dance to exhibit the color of his feathers and once the fertilization has been completed, they construct between the two a small nest, with cloth of chandelier and moss

Usually, the female is who chooses the place to do the nest in an area of feeding that is not the best, but this decision, it is to have security and with it calmness

2 eggs that it puts are small but big, in proportion to his size, it incubates them for 16 days and handles them with extraordinary delicacy on having turned them over, to support them to 32 grades of constant temperature

The diet of the hummingbirds consists of nectar of the flowers and insects, with what they obtain calories and proteins very necessary for his style of highly demanding flight

Due to his feeding, they have little corporal fat, they depend on his metabolism to stay lukewarm

In the nights with low temperatures, they enter a been hothouse, preserving energy and his cardiac rhythm diminishes.

In the day his heart beats about 1,200 time per minute, on having come, the night only it beats 159 times per minute

The Hummingbirds are important part of the ecosystem, because they take part in the pollination phenomenon, which has been possible thanks to his big adaptation capacity to diverse ambiences

There exist approximately 330 species, of which 54 live in Costa Rica and in the United States only 20.

The most common predators of the Hummingbirds are the birds of prey and mice

Nevertheless; the history has demonstrated that the biggest predator of these birds is the man

Especially in the XIXth century, they killed thousands of Hummingbirds, to use his bodies and feathers as decoration of hats for lady

At that time the ladies vied with each other to be the most beautiful hat Fortunately this fashion changed.

The experts say that several species disappeared for this slaughter

The feathers of some of the missing species, they were more brilliant and coloring, that those of the current species. We never will see them again.