Bird Watching And Hummingbird

Bird watching and Hummingbird Bird watching is an uncomplicated, diverting, and relaxing activity. Bird watching is becoming ever more popular across the globe. Bird watching is not only a simple and effective stress-reliever it is also intellectually stimulating. There are so many different kinds of bird that the bird watcher has the opportunity to have a new experience each and every time one takes time out to go bird watching. Bird watching is a fun, inexpensive activity for families.

Humming birds are the smallest, with an average weight of less than an ounce, with such a swiftness of flight that one cannot see the movement of the wings. Most Hummingbirds flap their wings about 60 or so times a second. This means all we can see is a blur. The Magnificent Hummingbird is an exception, sometimes it flaps it wings slow enough for individual wing beats to be perceived. Their English name derives from the characteristic “hum” made by their wings. Hummingbirds are small birds with long, thin bills. The bill, combined with an extendible, bifurcated tongue, allows the bird to feed upon nectar deep within flowers. The lower mandible can flex downward to create a wider bill opening which facilitates the capture of flying insects in the mouth rather than at the tip of the bill. The two halves of a hummingbird's bill have a pronounced overlap, with the lower half (mandible) fitting tightly inside the upper half (maxilla). When hummingbirds feed on nectar, the bill is usually only opened slightly, allowing the tongue to dart out and into the interior of flowers. In some species the bill shape is adapted for specialized feeding. Thornbills have short, sharp bills adapted for feeding from flowers with short corollas and piercing the bases of longer ones. The Sicklebills' extremely decurved bills are adapted to extracting nectar from the curved corollas of flowers in the family Gesneriaceae. The bill of the Fierytailed Awlbill has an upturned tip, as in the Avocets. The male Tooth-billed Hummingbird has barracuda-like spikes at the tip of its long, straight bill.

The Hummingbirds are known for their radiant colours, which are brighter than those of any other birds. Their brilliant feathers contain no bright pigments. It comes from the refracted light. When light strikes the flat, microscopic air bubbles within the humming bird’s feathers it is diffracted into colours and reflects back in a flash of iridescence. It explains why the bird appears drab in the shade and yet explodes into colours when the sun shines directly on the feathers. Different species reflect different ranges of hues. Generally they wash in shallow water. It is also interesting to see Hummingbirds wash themselves on a leaf that is wet with dew or rain water. The bird slides down the leaf moistening its breast and its feathers, while still flying. Hummingbirds have the most rapid metabolism of any bird and its average heart beat is of 1,250 beats a minute. Its near invisible wings beat 60 times a second and they move effortlessly up and down at an average flight speed of 25 to 30 miles. Hummers have a fast breathing rate, and a high body temperature. To meet this tremendous energy requirement Hummingbirds consume roughly half their weight of nectar and insects everyday. They sleep with their feathers fluffed and the bill pointed to the sky. The average life span is around three years. They must feed every 10 minutes or so all day, and they may consume 2/3 of their body weight in a single day. A major part of a hummingbird's diet is sugar. They get it from flower nectar and tree sap. Hummers also need protein in order to build muscles, so they eat insects and pollen. The tongue of a hummingbird has grooves on the side, which are used to catch insects in the air--also from leaves and spider webs. Hummingbirds do not spend all day flying, as the energy costs of this would be prohibitive; the majority of their activity consists simply of sitting or perching. They migrate long distances, and it is recorded on its migration flight, it can skim across the Gulf of Mexico to Central America without resting, at a flying speed of fifty to sixty miles an hour, travelling for eight to ten hours to cover the 500 miles, during winter. The Bee Hummingbird (Mellisuga helenae) is the smallest bird in the world, weighing 1.8 g (0.06 oz) and measuring about 5 cm (2 in). A typical North American hummingbird, such as the Rufous Hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus), weighs approximately 3 g (0.106 ounces) and has a length of 10–12 cm (3.5–4 inches). The largest hummingbird is the

Giant Hummingbird (Patagona gigas), with some weighing as much as 24 g (0.85 oz) and measuring 21.5 cm (8.5 in). Most species make a cup-shaped nest on the branch of a tree or shrub. Two white eggs are laid which, despite being the smallest of all bird eggs, are in fact large relative to the hummingbird's adult size. Incubation typically lasts 12–19 days. The nest varies in size relative to species, from smaller than half of a walnut shell to several centimeters in diameter. Hummingbirds can fly right, left, up, down, backwards, even upside down. While other birds get their flight power from the down stroke only, hummingbirds have strength on the up-stroke, as well. A hummingbird's wing is flexible at the shoulder, but inflexible at the wrist. They can fly backwards, and are the only group of birds able to do so. When hovering, hummingbirds hold their bodies upright and flap their wings horizontally. As the wings swing back they tilt flat for a moment before the wings are drawn. The tiny feet of hummingbirds are almost useless except for perching. Hummingbirds lift from perches without pushing off; they rise entirely on their own power, flapping their wings at almost full speed before lifting off. Though they fly very fast, they can suddenly stop and make a soft landing. They are so light they do not build up much momentum. Hummingbirds compete for nectar and insects. They guard their territories fiercely, perching high near flowering bushes or feeders. In duels the hummers use their bills and claws as weapons. They sometimes collide with a loud thud. Hummingbirds are found only in the Americas, from southern Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, including the Caribbean. These birds are a must to watch. - Tamarapu Sampath Kumaran