Hummingbirds are too small to be preserved as fossils, and their evolutionary history remains a mystery. Most hummingbirds now live in Central and South America, and the hummingbird fossils 1 10,000 years ago were found in South America, so scientists believe that hummingbirds originated in the Pleistocene. However, in southern Germany, scientists discovered the oldest hummingbird fossil in the world, which has a history of more than 30 million years. So the ancestors of hummingbirds appeared as early as Oligocene.
ecological environment
Hummingbirds live in a wide range, from the Andes up to 4000 meters to the tropical rain forest of the Amazon River. Some hummingbirds live in dry shrubs and jungles, and some hummingbirds live in wet swamps.
Distribution area
Hummingbirds only live in America, from southern Canada and Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, including the West Indies. Black-headed northern hummingbirds are the most common species in the western United States and Canada. Only red-throated northern hummingbirds breed in eastern North America, but individual members of other kinds of hummingbirds ("temporary signs" in bird jargon) can also be seen in eastern North America, sometimes vagrants from Cuba or the Bahamas.
Hummingbirds are not distributed in all parts of China, and some large moths (such as hummingbirds and moths) will be mistaken for hummingbirds when they feed on nectar during the day. There are hummingbird specimens in the herbarium of the School of Life Sciences of Beijing Normal University, which were brought to Fu Jen Catholic University by an American missionary in the early 20th century (later merged into Normal University), and all of them were stripped off with fakes. After staying in Chenfang for nearly a hundred years, the specimens are well preserved, and the bright colors of feathers can still be seen.
morphological character
Hummingbirds usually have blue or green feathers, and their lower bodies are lighter. Some males have crests or slender tail feathers. Most males are blue-green, some are purple, red or yellow. The feathers on the female bird are dull.
Amazing memory
Although hummingbirds' brains are only the size of rice grains at most, their memory ability is quite amazing. Researchers from Britain and Canada recently found that hummingbirds can not only remember the kind of food they just ate, but also remember when they ate it, so they can easily eat things they haven't "tasted".
Reuters reports that hummingbirds in nature have their own spheres of influence. They can not only clearly remember which flowers they have collected honey, but also judge the "approximate time" of visiting these flowers, and then look for new food according to the nectar re-secretion law of different plants. In this way, when the hummingbird comes out again, it can not "harass" the plants whose nectar has been hollowed out by itself. Researchers point out that these amazing movements make hummingbirds the only wild animals that can remember when and where to eat. Previously, scientists thought that only humans would have similar judgment ability.
It is reported that this Canadian hummingbird flies from the cold Rocky Mountains to the warm Mexican region every winter, and then they will return to the Rocky Mountains to breed in the following spring. Scientists therefore speculate that hummingbirds have amazing memories because they are so small that it takes a long time to travel long distances year after year, so they can't spend precious time looking for food. Researchers claim that a small hummingbird can distinguish the nectar secretion of up to eight different flowers. The above results were published in a biological journal named CurrentBiology.
metabolism
In order to adapt to the rapid flapping of wings, hummingbirds have the fastest metabolism of all animals. Their heart rate can reach 500 beats per minute! Hummingbirds consume far more food than their own weight every day. In order to get a lot of food, they must eat hundreds of flowers every day. Sometimes hummingbirds have to endure hunger for hours. In order to adapt to this situation, they can slow down their metabolism at night or when food is not easy to get. Entering a state similar to hibernation is called "hibernation". During hibernation, the heart rate and respiratory rate will slow down to reduce the demand for food.
Flight speed
Hummingbirds fly at a speed of 90 km/h, and if they dive, the speed can reach 100 km/h.
life
There is little research data about hummingbirds' life span, and most experts believe that the average life span of hummingbirds is 3-4 years. Under artificial propagation, the life span of hummingbirds can reach 10 years, while the life span of blue-breasted hummingbirds recorded in the field is only 7 years.
type
Male birds don't participate in nesting, and female birds build their own nests. Hummingbirds' nests are cup-shaped fabrics, which are usually hung on branches, caves, rock surfaces or large leaves. Hummingbirds lay two very small white eggs at a time, but they are still relatively large compared with the size of birds. The incubation period of eggs is usually 15- 19 days.
Hummingbird feeding
Hummingbirds like flowering plants (especially red flowers), including shrimp flowers, flowers hanging upside down (also called bell flowers) and plants catching bells and willows. Hummingbirds feed on the nectar of these plants. They are also important pollinators, especially those with long sleeves. Most hummingbirds also feed on insects.
Hummingbirds can use "milk bottles", especially the red ones. Suitable artificial nectar consists of one part sucrose and four parts water. Sucrose is most easily dissolved in boiling water, and then it is completely cooled before being eaten by hummingbirds. Things other than sugar, such as honey, ferment too fast, so it will hurt birds. There are also some hummingbird foods for sale, but they usually contain unwanted red pigments. It is reported that pigment can poison hummingbirds. The use of red flower-shaped utensils will have a good attraction effect. Hummingbird food also contains a small amount of nutrients, but hummingbirds obviously get nutrients from the insects they prey on, so they don't need nutrients. Therefore, sugar and water can make the best nectar.
Hummingbirds' "milk bottles" should be cleaned once a week and replaced with sugar water, or more frequently if the climate is warm. Replace it at least once a month, otherwise it must be replaced if there is black mold. The "milk bottle" should be soaked in chlorine bleaching powder solution. Hummingbirds don't want to use a "bottle" washed with soap. They don't like the taste of soap.
Hummingbirds sometimes stray into the garage and get trapped. Because they mistake the hanging latch handle (usually red) for a flower, although sometimes hummingbirds are trapped in fences that don't contain any red. Once trapped inside, hummingbirds may not be able to escape, because when they are threatened or trapped, their instinctive reaction is to fly upwards. This will threaten the life of hummingbirds. Hummingbirds will die in a short time, maybe less than an hour, because their physical strength is exhausted. If the hummingbird is trapped inside, it can be easily caught and released outside. When caught in the hand, it will remain quiet until it is released.
Protect hummingbirds
Because hummingbirds have gorgeous feathers, in the19th century, European and American women often use hummingbirds' feathers to make hats, and businessmen buy hummingbirds' skins, which poses a great threat to hummingbirds' survival. In modern society, with the deforestation and the development of agriculture, the habitat on which hummingbirds live is gradually destroyed, and some hummingbirds are also in danger of extinction.