Female Ruby Throated Hummingbird
by John Vose
Title
Female Ruby Throated Hummingbird
Artist
John Vose
Medium
Photograph - Digital Photograph
Description
A female ruby throated hummingbird rests on a branch.
Ruby Throated Hummingbirds are metallic green above and greyish white below, with near-black wings. Their bill is long, straight and very slender. he adult male, shown in the photo, has a ruby red throat patch, which may appear black in some lighting, and a dark forked tail. The female has a dark rounded tail with white tips and generally no throat patch, though she may sometimes have a light or whitish throat patch. The male is smaller than the female, and has a slightly shorter beak.
Hummingbirds are birds that comprise the family Trochilidae. They are among the smallest of birds, most species measuring in the 3�5 in range.
They can hover in mid-air by rapidly flapping their wings 12�80 times per second (depending on the species). To conserve energy while they sleep or when food is scarce, they have the ability to go into a hibernation-like state (torpor) where their metabolic rate is slowed to 1/15th of its normal rate. They are also the only group of birds with the ability to fly backwards. Their English name derives from the humming sound made by the very fast beating of their wings. They can fly at speeds exceeding 34 mph.
Hummingbirds drink nectar, a sweet liquid inside certain flowers. Like bees, they are able to assess the amount of sugar in the nectar they eat; they reject flower types that produce nectar that is less than 10% sugar and prefer those whose sugar content is stronger. Nectar is a poor source of nutrients, so hummingbirds meet their needs for protein, amino acids, vitamins, minerals, etc. by preying on insects and spiders.
Most hummingbirds have bills that are long and straight or nearly so, but in some species the bill shape is adapted for specialized feeding. With the exception of insects, hummingbirds while in flight have the highest metabolism of all animals, a necessity in order to support the rapid beating of their wings. Their heart rate can reach as high as 1,260 beats per
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August 15th, 2012
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