Birds can’t taste sweetness.
But hummingbirds repurposed a carbohydrate-detecting sensor to exploit sweet nectar. So, they exist where nectar-bearing flowers are available in the Americas. Like many bird species, females are larger than males.
Their fall migration to Mexico and Central America is underway. This migration is triggered primarily by decreased daylight and falling temperatures. They fuel up on their way south.
Here’s the migration timeline:
- In southern Canada and northeastern U.S., it peaks in September.
- In the Midwest and Great Plains, migration also runs through September.
- In the Southeast and Gulf Coast, birds pass through from now to late November.
Hummingbirds became symbols and totems in several cultures. The Aztecs, for instance, wore hummingbird talismans, which were believed to attract sexual potency, vigor and war skills. Aztecs thought fallen warriors were reincarnated as hummingbirds.
The Caribbean’s Trinidad and Tobago displays hummingbirds on its penny, coat of arms and national airline.
It’s a long journey for a bird just 3 to 5 inches long and weighing a few grams. And, yes, it’s named for the sound of its fast-beating wings.
On Birds
How I Learned About Horny Jackdaws
Be First to Comment