The Hummingbird

A presentation made by:

Beltic Cezar Bogdan
 Contents
1. General description;
2. Diet and
specialization for
food gathering;
3. Aerodynamics of
flight;
4. Migration;
5. Wing structure and
colors;
6. In myth and culture;
1. General
description
Hummingbirdsarebirdsthat
constitute the familyTrochilidae.
They are among the smallest of
birds, most species measuring in
the 7.513cm range;
Indeed, the smallestextantbird
species is a hummingbird, the 5-
cmBee Hummingbird;
They hover in mid-air by rapidly
flapping theirwings 1280 times
per sec
They are the only group of birds
with the ability to fly backwards.
Individuals from some species of
hummingbirds weigh less than
apenny.ond (depending on the
species).
 2. Diet and specialization for food
gathering;
Hummingbirds drinknectar, 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
higher.
Most hummingbird species have bills that are long and straight or
nearly so, but in some species the bill shape is adapted for
specialized feeding.Thornbillshave short, sharp bills adapted for
feeding from flowers with shortcorollasand piercing the bases of
Hummingbirds eat
longer ones.
many small meals and
consume as much as
twelve times their body
weight in nectar each
day.
 3. Aerodynamics of flight;

The Giant Hummingbird's wings beat is as low as 12 beats per

second, the wings of medium-sized hummingbirds beat about
20 to 30 beats per second and the smallest can reach 100
beats per second during courtship displays.
A slow motion video has shown how the hummingbirds deal
with water when they are flying. To remove the water from
their heads, they shake their heads and body, similar to a dog
shaking to shed water.
 4. Migration
Most hummingbirds of
the U.S. and Canada
migrate south in fall to
spend the winter
inMexicoorCentral
America.
TheRufous
Hummingbirdis one of
several species that
breed in temperate
western North America
and are wintering in
increasing numbers in
the warm subtropical
southeastern United
States, rather than in
tropical Mexico. The
Rufous Hummingbird
nests farther north than
any other species and
must tolerate occasional
temperatures below
 5. Wing structure and colors;
Many of the hummingbird species have bright plumage with exotic
coloration. In many species, the coloring does not come
frompigmentationin the feather structure, but instead from prism-like
cells within the top layers of the feathers. When light hits these cells, it is
split intowavelengthsthat reflect to the observer in varying degrees of
intensity. The Hummingbird feather structure acts as adiffraction grating.
The result is that, merely by shifting position, a muted-looking bird will
suddenly become fiery red or vivid green. However, not all hummingbird
colors are due to theprismfeather structure. The rusty browns of Allen's
and Rufous Hummingbirds come from
pigmentation.Iridescenthummingbird colors actually result from a
combination of refraction and pigmentation, since the diffraction
structures themselves are made ofmelanin, a pigment.
 Aztecswore hummingbirdtalismans, the 6. In myth and
talismans being representations as well
as actual hummingbirdfetishesformed culture;
from parts of real hummingbirds:
emblematic for their vigor, energy, and
propensity to do work along with their
sharp beaks that mimic instruments of
weaponry, bloodletting, penetration, and
intimacy. Hummingbird talismans were
prized as drawing sexual potency,
energy, vigor, and skill at arms
andwarfare to the wearer.
TheAztecgodHuitzilopochtliis often
depicted as a hummingbird.
TheNahuatlwordhuitzil(hummingbird)
is anonomatopoeicword derived from
the sounds of the hummingbird's wing-
beats and zooming flight.
In the past hummingbird feathers were
used due to its beauty and iridescent
colours and hues to decorate different
articles, like for example to dress some
of the miniature birds fitted in
thesinging bird boxes.
One of theNazca Linesdepicts a
hummingbird.
 The end!
Special thanks to:
- Wikipedia for the information;
- Google search engine for the
pictures;