{"id":619,"date":"2023-05-31T17:20:10","date_gmt":"2023-05-31T17:20:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/david.bookstaber.com\/?p=619"},"modified":"2023-06-19T03:50:45","modified_gmt":"2023-06-19T03:50:45","slug":"hummingbird","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/david.bookstaber.com\/?p=619","title":{"rendered":"Hummingbirds"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The word for <em>hummingbird <\/em>in most other European languages is <em>colibri<\/em>.  I can&#8217;t find an explanation for why English didn&#8217;t adopt that.  I put out a feeder with a 1:4 solution of sugar : water, and once they find it hummingbirds come for a drink every 15 minutes for the entire day.  Here are photos of one frequent visitor:<\/p>\n\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\">\r\n\t#foogallery-gallery-620 .fg-image {\r\n        width: 200px;\r\n    }\r\n<\/style>\r\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"foogallery foogallery-container foogallery-default foogallery-lightbox-foobox fg-gutter-10 fg-center fg-default fg-light fg-shadow-outline fg-loading-default fg-loaded-fade-in fg-caption-hover fg-hover-fade fg-hover-zoom fg-ready\" id=\"foogallery-gallery-620\" data-foogallery=\"{&quot;item&quot;:{&quot;showCaptionTitle&quot;:true,&quot;showCaptionDescription&quot;:true},&quot;lazy&quot;:true}\" >\r\n\t<div class=\"fg-item fg-type-image fg-idle\"><figure class=\"fg-item-inner\"><a href=\"https:\/\/david.bookstaber.com\/WP\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Hummingbird1-by-David-Bookstaber-scaled.jpg\" data-attachment-id=\"621\" data-type=\"image\" class=\"fg-thumb\"><span class=\"fg-image-wrap\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" class=\"skip-lazy fg-image\" data-src-fg=\"https:\/\/david.bookstaber.com\/WP\/wp-content\/uploads\/cache\/2023\/05\/Hummingbird1-by-David-Bookstaber-scaled\/3397332568.jpg\" data-srcset-fg=\"https:\/\/david.bookstaber.com\/WP\/wp-content\/uploads\/cache\/2023\/05\/Hummingbird1-by-David-Bookstaber-scaled\/3646329316.jpg 2x\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%22200%22%20height%3D%22200%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20200%20200%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" loading=\"eager\"><\/span><span class=\"fg-image-overlay\"><\/span><\/a><figcaption class=\"fg-caption\"><div class=\"fg-caption-inner\"><\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure><div class=\"fg-loader\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fg-item fg-type-image fg-idle\"><figure class=\"fg-item-inner\"><a href=\"https:\/\/david.bookstaber.com\/WP\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Hummingbird2-by-David-Bookstaber.jpg\" data-attachment-id=\"622\" data-type=\"image\" class=\"fg-thumb\"><span class=\"fg-image-wrap\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" class=\"skip-lazy fg-image\" data-src-fg=\"https:\/\/david.bookstaber.com\/WP\/wp-content\/uploads\/cache\/2023\/05\/Hummingbird2-by-David-Bookstaber\/1940784992.jpg\" data-srcset-fg=\"https:\/\/david.bookstaber.com\/WP\/wp-content\/uploads\/cache\/2023\/05\/Hummingbird2-by-David-Bookstaber\/3410891931.jpg 2x\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%22200%22%20height%3D%22200%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20200%20200%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" loading=\"eager\"><\/span><span class=\"fg-image-overlay\"><\/span><\/a><figcaption class=\"fg-caption\"><div class=\"fg-caption-inner\"><\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure><div class=\"fg-loader\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fg-item fg-type-image fg-idle\"><figure class=\"fg-item-inner\"><a href=\"https:\/\/david.bookstaber.com\/WP\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Hummingbird3-by-David-Bookstaber-scaled.jpg\" data-attachment-id=\"623\" data-type=\"image\" class=\"fg-thumb\"><span class=\"fg-image-wrap\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" class=\"skip-lazy fg-image\" data-src-fg=\"https:\/\/david.bookstaber.com\/WP\/wp-content\/uploads\/cache\/2023\/05\/Hummingbird3-by-David-Bookstaber-scaled\/1749939103.jpg\" data-srcset-fg=\"https:\/\/david.bookstaber.com\/WP\/wp-content\/uploads\/cache\/2023\/05\/Hummingbird3-by-David-Bookstaber-scaled\/2070170659.jpg 2x\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%22200%22%20height%3D%22200%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20200%20200%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" loading=\"eager\"><\/span><span class=\"fg-image-overlay\"><\/span><\/a><figcaption class=\"fg-caption\"><div class=\"fg-caption-inner\"><\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure><div class=\"fg-loader\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fg-item fg-type-image fg-idle\"><figure class=\"fg-item-inner\"><a href=\"https:\/\/david.bookstaber.com\/WP\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Hummingbird4-by-David-Bookstaber-scaled.jpg\" data-attachment-id=\"624\" data-type=\"image\" class=\"fg-thumb\"><span class=\"fg-image-wrap\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" class=\"skip-lazy fg-image\" data-src-fg=\"https:\/\/david.bookstaber.com\/WP\/wp-content\/uploads\/cache\/2023\/05\/Hummingbird4-by-David-Bookstaber-scaled\/3922361940.jpg\" data-srcset-fg=\"https:\/\/david.bookstaber.com\/WP\/wp-content\/uploads\/cache\/2023\/05\/Hummingbird4-by-David-Bookstaber-scaled\/4209230312.jpg 2x\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%22200%22%20height%3D%22200%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20200%20200%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" loading=\"eager\"><\/span><span class=\"fg-image-overlay\"><\/span><\/a><figcaption class=\"fg-caption\"><div class=\"fg-caption-inner\"><\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure><div class=\"fg-loader\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fg-item fg-type-image fg-idle\"><figure class=\"fg-item-inner\"><a href=\"https:\/\/david.bookstaber.com\/WP\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Hummingbird5-by-David-Bookstaber-scaled.jpg\" data-attachment-id=\"625\" data-type=\"image\" class=\"fg-thumb\"><span class=\"fg-image-wrap\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" class=\"skip-lazy fg-image\" data-src-fg=\"https:\/\/david.bookstaber.com\/WP\/wp-content\/uploads\/cache\/2023\/05\/Hummingbird5-by-David-Bookstaber-scaled\/1433113495.jpg\" data-srcset-fg=\"https:\/\/david.bookstaber.com\/WP\/wp-content\/uploads\/cache\/2023\/05\/Hummingbird5-by-David-Bookstaber-scaled\/1178741803.jpg 2x\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%22200%22%20height%3D%22200%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20200%20200%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" loading=\"eager\"><\/span><span class=\"fg-image-overlay\"><\/span><\/a><figcaption class=\"fg-caption\"><div class=\"fg-caption-inner\"><\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure><div class=\"fg-loader\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fg-item fg-type-image fg-idle\"><figure class=\"fg-item-inner\"><a href=\"https:\/\/david.bookstaber.com\/WP\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Hummingbird11-by-David-Bookstaber-scaled.jpg\" data-attachment-id=\"630\" data-type=\"image\" class=\"fg-thumb\"><span class=\"fg-image-wrap\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" class=\"skip-lazy fg-image\" data-src-fg=\"https:\/\/david.bookstaber.com\/WP\/wp-content\/uploads\/cache\/2023\/05\/Hummingbird11-by-David-Bookstaber-scaled\/3751992850.jpg\" data-srcset-fg=\"https:\/\/david.bookstaber.com\/WP\/wp-content\/uploads\/cache\/2023\/05\/Hummingbird11-by-David-Bookstaber-scaled\/493225994.jpg 2x\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%22200%22%20height%3D%22200%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20200%20200%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" loading=\"eager\"><\/span><span class=\"fg-image-overlay\"><\/span><\/a><figcaption class=\"fg-caption\"><div class=\"fg-caption-inner\"><\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure><div class=\"fg-loader\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fg-item fg-type-image fg-idle\"><figure class=\"fg-item-inner\"><a href=\"https:\/\/david.bookstaber.com\/WP\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Hummingbird9-by-David-Bookstaber.jpg\" data-attachment-id=\"629\" data-type=\"image\" class=\"fg-thumb\"><span class=\"fg-image-wrap\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" class=\"skip-lazy fg-image\" data-src-fg=\"https:\/\/david.bookstaber.com\/WP\/wp-content\/uploads\/cache\/2023\/05\/Hummingbird9-by-David-Bookstaber\/985425987.jpg\" data-srcset-fg=\"https:\/\/david.bookstaber.com\/WP\/wp-content\/uploads\/cache\/2023\/05\/Hummingbird9-by-David-Bookstaber\/2187099064.jpg 2x\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%22200%22%20height%3D%22200%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20200%20200%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" loading=\"eager\"><\/span><span class=\"fg-image-overlay\"><\/span><\/a><figcaption class=\"fg-caption\"><div class=\"fg-caption-inner\"><\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure><div class=\"fg-loader\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fg-item fg-type-image fg-idle\"><figure class=\"fg-item-inner\"><a href=\"https:\/\/david.bookstaber.com\/WP\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Hummingbird8-by-David-Bookstaber.jpg\" data-attachment-id=\"628\" data-type=\"image\" class=\"fg-thumb\"><span class=\"fg-image-wrap\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" class=\"skip-lazy fg-image\" data-src-fg=\"https:\/\/david.bookstaber.com\/WP\/wp-content\/uploads\/cache\/2023\/05\/Hummingbird8-by-David-Bookstaber\/2807213759.jpg\" data-srcset-fg=\"https:\/\/david.bookstaber.com\/WP\/wp-content\/uploads\/cache\/2023\/05\/Hummingbird8-by-David-Bookstaber\/531807556.jpg 2x\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%22200%22%20height%3D%22200%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20200%20200%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" loading=\"eager\"><\/span><span class=\"fg-image-overlay\"><\/span><\/a><figcaption class=\"fg-caption\"><div class=\"fg-caption-inner\"><\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure><div class=\"fg-loader\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fg-item fg-type-image fg-idle\"><figure class=\"fg-item-inner\"><a href=\"https:\/\/david.bookstaber.com\/WP\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Hummingbird7-by-David-Bookstaber-scaled.jpg\" data-attachment-id=\"627\" data-type=\"image\" class=\"fg-thumb\"><span class=\"fg-image-wrap\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" class=\"skip-lazy fg-image\" data-src-fg=\"https:\/\/david.bookstaber.com\/WP\/wp-content\/uploads\/cache\/2023\/05\/Hummingbird7-by-David-Bookstaber-scaled\/4149825104.jpg\" data-srcset-fg=\"https:\/\/david.bookstaber.com\/WP\/wp-content\/uploads\/cache\/2023\/05\/Hummingbird7-by-David-Bookstaber-scaled\/3832607212.jpg 2x\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%22200%22%20height%3D%22200%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20200%20200%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" loading=\"eager\"><\/span><span class=\"fg-image-overlay\"><\/span><\/a><figcaption class=\"fg-caption\"><div class=\"fg-caption-inner\"><\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure><div class=\"fg-loader\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fg-item fg-type-image fg-idle\"><figure class=\"fg-item-inner\"><a href=\"https:\/\/david.bookstaber.com\/WP\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Hummingbird12-by-David-Bookstaber-scaled.jpg\" data-attachment-id=\"632\" data-type=\"image\" class=\"fg-thumb\"><span class=\"fg-image-wrap\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" class=\"skip-lazy fg-image\" data-src-fg=\"https:\/\/david.bookstaber.com\/WP\/wp-content\/uploads\/cache\/2023\/05\/Hummingbird12-by-David-Bookstaber-scaled\/2688756398.jpg\" data-srcset-fg=\"https:\/\/david.bookstaber.com\/WP\/wp-content\/uploads\/cache\/2023\/05\/Hummingbird12-by-David-Bookstaber-scaled\/1653079222.jpg 2x\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%22200%22%20height%3D%22200%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20200%20200%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" loading=\"eager\"><\/span><span class=\"fg-image-overlay\"><\/span><\/a><figcaption class=\"fg-caption\"><div class=\"fg-caption-inner\"><\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure><div class=\"fg-loader\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fg-item fg-type-image fg-idle\"><figure class=\"fg-item-inner\"><a href=\"https:\/\/david.bookstaber.com\/WP\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Hummingbird6-by-David-Bookstaber-scaled.jpg\" data-attachment-id=\"626\" data-type=\"image\" class=\"fg-thumb\"><span class=\"fg-image-wrap\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" class=\"skip-lazy fg-image\" data-src-fg=\"https:\/\/david.bookstaber.com\/WP\/wp-content\/uploads\/cache\/2023\/05\/Hummingbird6-by-David-Bookstaber-scaled\/1274586003.jpg\" data-srcset-fg=\"https:\/\/david.bookstaber.com\/WP\/wp-content\/uploads\/cache\/2023\/05\/Hummingbird6-by-David-Bookstaber-scaled\/1490099247.jpg 2x\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%22200%22%20height%3D%22200%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20200%20200%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" loading=\"eager\"><\/span><span class=\"fg-image-overlay\"><\/span><\/a><figcaption class=\"fg-caption\"><div class=\"fg-caption-inner\"><\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure><div class=\"fg-loader\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fg-item fg-type-image fg-idle\"><figure class=\"fg-item-inner\"><a href=\"https:\/\/david.bookstaber.com\/WP\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Hummingbird13-by-David-Bookstaber-scaled.jpg\" data-attachment-id=\"633\" data-type=\"image\" class=\"fg-thumb\"><span class=\"fg-image-wrap\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" class=\"skip-lazy fg-image\" data-src-fg=\"https:\/\/david.bookstaber.com\/WP\/wp-content\/uploads\/cache\/2023\/05\/Hummingbird13-by-David-Bookstaber-scaled\/4168932116.jpg\" data-srcset-fg=\"https:\/\/david.bookstaber.com\/WP\/wp-content\/uploads\/cache\/2023\/05\/Hummingbird13-by-David-Bookstaber-scaled\/985140492.jpg 2x\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%22200%22%20height%3D%22200%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20200%20200%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" loading=\"eager\"><\/span><span class=\"fg-image-overlay\"><\/span><\/a><figcaption class=\"fg-caption\"><div class=\"fg-caption-inner\"><\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure><div class=\"fg-loader\"><\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\n\n\n<p>Sometimes they perch, and sometimes they maintain a hover while drinking.  They get a little territorial about the feeder, even though it has four perches and flowers to drink from: when one hummingbird is at the feeder, often another will approach and provoke it and they&#8217;ll flit away rapidly spiraling around each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hummingbird species encompass not only the smallest birds but also the smallest warm-blooded animals.  During the day they maintain the highest metabolism of any vertebrate.  This requires a nearly constant supply of sugar.  (At night, when they can&#8217;t feed, they perch and enter a hibernation-like state of vastly reduced metabolism called <em>torpor<\/em>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In terms of flying skills, they can keep their head perfectly still in a hover, even as their wings are fluttering back and forth dozens of times a second.  I have seen them hovering at the feeder in the heavy winds preceding a thunderstorm.  In the morning and evening I can see hummingbirds hovering and swooping to eat tiny flying insects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>No other vertebrates can maintain a true hover in flight, and the size range for hummingbirds runs from 2g to 20g.  This suggests that any smaller and an endoskeleton and\/or homeothermic metabolism becomes too expensive for a hovering animal.  Any heavier and it becomes too difficult for a biological system to process and supply the energy needed to hover.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The word for hummingbird in most other European languages is colibri. I can&#8217;t find an explanation for why English didn&#8217;t&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":621,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[13],"tags":[24,25],"class_list":["post-619","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-photography","tag-birds","tag-hummingbirds","post-archive"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/david.bookstaber.com\/WP\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Hummingbird1-by-David-Bookstaber-scaled.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/david.bookstaber.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/619","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/david.bookstaber.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/david.bookstaber.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/david.bookstaber.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/david.bookstaber.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=619"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/david.bookstaber.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/619\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":638,"href":"https:\/\/david.bookstaber.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/619\/revisions\/638"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/david.bookstaber.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/621"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/david.bookstaber.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=619"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/david.bookstaber.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=619"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/david.bookstaber.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=619"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}