Hummingbirds -- Fascinating Feathered Acrobats
A TINY, iridescent creature swoops down, suddenly stops before a pink hibiscus blossom and hovers in midair. Quickly it moves forward and, then, straight in reverse. Once more the little creature darts forward, its long, slender bill disappearing in the blossoms. The wings are just a blur. Their sound resembles the humming of an insect. In a flash, the creature darts off sideways. Next, it moves straight up and then quickly disappears.
This feathered aerial acrobat is a hummingbird, another one of the fascinating creatures provided by God for our enjoyment. The bird's name is derived from the sound made by its wings. Because hummingbirds flit from flower to flower, in Brazil they are called "flower kissers."
Breakneck Aerial Stunts
Only a minute passes before another hummingbird dives from nowhere--or so it seems. What makes these creatures such amazing fliers?
One outstanding thing is their wing muscles. These represent an unusual 25 to 30 percent of the whole body weight. Ordinary birds flap their wings up and down. Not so the hummingbirds. Their unique winglets pivot forward and backward, like oars. Although the movement is not circular, the effect is much like the performance of a helicopter rotor. For example, the rotor tilts when the helicopter moves forward and backward. A hummingbird does the same thing with its wings.
Other birds can hover with their bodies motionless in the air, but the hummingbirds are the experts at it. Besides, only a hummingbird can rise vertically and instantaneously. And how about going in reverse? No other bird is able to do it. The plane of the wings simply tilts backward. Whoosh! There goes another hummingbird.
The speed of the hummingbird's wingbeat is simply astounding. The fastest hummers may reach 90 or more strokes per second. Minute Calliphlox amethystina, weighing less than a 10th of an ounce (under 2 gm), has been known to move its wings 80 times a second. By contrast, a giant hummer, Patagona gigas, registers a mere 8 to 10 strokes a second. Surprisingly, this is less than the number of times larger birds move their wings per second.
Hummingbirds are truly sensational performers. Especially when courting, the males stage a dazzling show. Describing the enthralling marriage "dance on air" of the North American ruby-throated hummingbird, author C. H. Greenewalt said:
"The female . . . settles herself on a twig fairly near the ground. The male rises high in the air and launches a power dive that ends immediately in front of his dazzled mate-to-be, then rises precipitously so that his course resembles a large U with the female at its base.
"In this performance she chooses her position, or he may choose it for her, in such a way that she can see the light reflected from all his iridescent feathers, and so has the joy not only of his aerial acrobatics but of a beautiful color display as well."
About the Author
Did you find those tips on Hummingbirds useful? You can learn a lot more about how Hummingbirds can help you here." marvels of creation
Income Opportunity: click here!
|
