![]() There are about 360 known species of hummingbirds, which makes them the second-greatest number of species of any bird family, after the tyrant flycatchers. Currently, as many as 135 species of hummingbirds occur and partition resources in some localities in the Andes. The process of speciation might have been speeded up by the geological transformation of the Andean Mountains.Īs new species emerged, mutualistic plant-hummingbird relationships were forged, resulting in species with bills of lengths and shape specific to a particular group of flowers. The current geographic distribution and diversity of hummingbirds suggest that they split into many species in the Andean Mountains of South America. Keeping the Balance Between Activity and Food.Some species of Andean hummingbirds have co-evolved with the length and shapes of flowers resulting in bizarre bill shapes and lengths.They chase away much larger birds such as mockingbirds, blue jays, and even hawks. While it is uncertain whether they used their bill, hummingbirds are very aggressive to other birds in the air.However, they have a poor sense of smell. Hummingbirds have excellent eyesight and can differentiate the sugar concentration in nectar.Hummingbirds can live up to 12 years based on banded and recaptured birds.The tiny hummingbirds beat their wings at an approximate rate of 80 times per second, whereas the Giant Hummingbird of the Andes does so at a rate of 12 beats per second. Hummingbirds’ wing beats vary in size.After the chick hatch, she raises them alone. After mating with a male, she finds a location for the nest, builds it, lays eggs, and incubates them by herself. All hummingbird females are single mothers.Well-developed pectoral muscles allow them some of the most acrobatic flight in the avian world. Hummingbirds are the smallest birds (about 3 grams of the smallest species), have the lowest number of feathers (about 1400) but have the largest pectoral (flight) muscles proportionally.The Olivaceous Thornbill of the high Andes walks from a flower to a nearby flower to save energy. Hummingbirds have tiny legs and feet that they use to perch and scratch themselves.They have iridescent or structural colors that vary depending on the arrangement of the feathers and the angle of light. Contrary to what some people believe, a hummingbird cannot switch its colors on and off.They reach their highest diversity in the humid montane forest of the northern Andes, where up to 130 species occur in regions of the Andes. Hummingbirds are found only in the Americas.They occur in coastal deserts, rainforests, and alpine grasslands. Hummingbirds occupy just about every habitat. They feed mostly on nectar from flowers and small soft insects. There are 37 species of hummingbirds in the list of threatened and endangered birds. The major threat to hummingbirds is habitat loss. They are closely related to the swifts of the family Apodidae. All hummingbirds belong to the family Trochilidae.
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