The hummingbirds or hummingbirds are small exotic birds, especially popular for their multiple characteristics and their beautiful shape. Although they stand out for having an extremely elongated beak, through which they extract nectar from flowers, they also captivate for their way of flying, which suspends them in the air while emitting a characteristic buzz.
Would you like to know what types of hummingbirds exist? What are they called or some of their peculiarities? In this article on our site we will show you a complete guide to types of hummingbirds with photos, you can't miss it! Don't forget to leave us a comment explaining which one is your favorite or share some curiosities!
How many species of hummingbirds are there?
Hummingbirds are very small birds that belong to the Family Trochilidae, whose members exceed 330 species that inhabit from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego. Fire. However, of the more than 330 species of the Trochilidae Family, only 4 are scientifically recognized as Hummingbird Genus.
The rest belong to other diverse genera (more than 100), although their anatomy looks like hummingbirds to the layman, and so they are named by the people who populate the areas where these winged jewels live. The 4 species of hummingbirds are found from Mexico, Central America and to the northern part of the South American continent.
1. Glittering Hummingbird
The Sparkling Hummingbird, Colibri coruscans, is distributed from northern South America to the west. Like all hummingbirds, it is essentially nectarivore (it feeds on nectar), although it adds small insects and spiders as an essential protein supplement to its diet.2 subspecies have been recorded.
two. Brown Hummingbird
The brown hummingbird,Colibri delphinae, nests in forests whose average height is between 400 and 1600 meters above sea level. Although to feed it descends from this height. It lives in areas of Guatemala, Brazil, Bolivia and the Trinidad Islands. This species is very aggressive against other hummingbirds.
3. Purple-eared Hummingbird
The Purple-eared Hummingbird, Hummingbird serrirostris, inhabits all of South America. The areas inhabited by this species are tropical and subtropical dry forests, savannas, and degraded forests. Males measure 12.5 cm and weigh 7 g, while females measure 11 cm and weigh 6 g. This species is very colorful, the plumage of the males being more intense than that of the females.
4. The Violet-eared Hummingbird
The Violet-eared Hummingbird, Colibri thalassinus, lives in the highlands from Mexico to Andean Venezuela to Bolivia. This hummingbird is a migratory bird that travels to the United States and Canada. Its habitat is made up of fields with bushes and trees that are between 600 and 3000 meters high. They measure between 9.5 and 11 cm, with a weight of 5 to 6 grams. Females are smaller. 5 subspecies have been recorded.
Trochilinae
Los troquilinos (trochilinae), are beautiful and small birds commonly called hummingbirds, hummingbirds, chuparrosas, tucusitos, chupamirtos, and a countless names that depend on the geographical area where they are found. Next we will show some specimens of a genus other than the hummingbird, but whose appearance and common name is almost identical. There are more than 100 genera of troquilines. Some of them are:
- Purple hummingbird. Campylopterus hemileucurus. It belongs to the genus Campylopterus.
- White-naped Hummingbird. Florisuga mellivora. It belongs to the genus Florisuga.
- Crested Hummingbird. Orthorhyncus cristatus. It belongs to the genus Orthorhyncus.
- Insigne Hummingbird. distinguished pantherpe. It belongs to the genus Panterpe.
In the image we can see a spotted hummingbird:
Curiosities of hummingbirds
Hummingbirds measure from 11 to 15 cm., and their weight ranges from 6 to 8.5 gramsRegarding its life cycle, it begins with the laying of 2 tiny white eggs. During the first year mortality among hummingbirds is high. Especially during the incubation period and the moment of leaving the nest. The specimens that survive this period, their life is prolonged for 3 to 4 years Although there are records of specimens whose life has reached 21 years.
The metabolism of hummingbirds and the rest of their Family Trochilidae is so high that they constantly need to suck flowers and devour tiny insects in order to maintain a temperature of 40º in their tiny bodies. The pulsations of their hearts reach 1200 per minute, similar to terrestrial shrews. In order to rest for a few hours, they must go into a kind of hibernation that lowers their heart rate and body temperature a lot.
Do you still not know the legend of the Mayan hummingbird? If you have been wanting to know more about the types of hummingbirds and other related curiosities you cannot miss discovering the legend of the Mayan hummingbird, which hides a powerful curse.
