In last week’s issue we had an introduction to the beautiful and amazing hummingbirds and learned that the ruby-throated live mostly in the eastern half of North America. Now let’s look at some that live in the western part of the continent.
One of these is the rufous, mostly orange-red but with a black chin and mottled gray over its head. Some of these spend the summer as far north as Alaska, but most remain in California and Oregon. Another is the well-named black-chinned, with metallic green top feathers, a deep black chin and white throat. One called Anna’s, also a dark green color, spends its summers along the West Coast and its winters in South America.
Some with descriptive names include the racket-tail, which has a forked tail, three times the length of its body. Another one with a long tail is named fork-tailed. An interesting one named bee is the smallest bird in the entire world. Its body is only about two inches long from the front of its short beak to the end of its short tail. This tiny bird weighs less than a penny. But it can beat its wings as vigorously as the others, about eighty times a second - faster than your eye can see. Its wings are seen as a blur in flight. By contrast, the largest hummer of all is called giant and is about ten inches long but as noiseless as a butterfly in flight.
All hummers must eat at least their own weight each day to keep strong and healthy. Their diet is mostly the nectar from flowers and tree blossoms but also includes a surprising amount of insects and spiders, which provide essential protein.
Hummers’ nests are a surprise. The insides of their nests are about as big around as a quarter. They are usually made of very small twigs or stems, often coated with clay on the outside and strengthened with spider webs wrapped around it. To do this, the female finds a web stretched between two supports. Hovering for a minute, she decides just where to grab it with her beak. She pulls it away by flying backward and continues flying in reverse all the way to the nest. If she flew forward, the web would wrap itself around her and present a real problem.
How do you think she learned all this? Well, she didn’t have to learn it. This is one more example of the Creator’s wonderful provisions for every living thing He has placed on the earth. He provided helpful instincts which are passed on from generation to generation. As we think of these little beauties, we can easily understand these words of the Bible: “[God] doeth great things past finding out; yea, and wonders without number” (Job 9:1010Which doeth great things past finding out; yea, and wonders without number. (Job 9:10)).
(to be continued)
ML-08/07/2005