The Hummingbird is a small bird characterized by the vividness of its colorsof its plumage and the speed with which it is able to move its wings. Likewise, it stands out for carrying out a curious mating ritual and for its small size.
Do you want to know the hummingbird life cycle? Below we explain it to you in a simple way, but also complete and ideal to explain it to children. In this way, we teach you what a hummingbird eats, how it reproduces, how many offspring it can have and how the cycle is reactivated. Keep reading!
Hummingbird pollination process
The hummingbird, also called hummingbird and tucusito, among other names, belongs to the order Trochiliformes, which includes more than 300 species of birds distributed in the American continent. It's easy to recognize by how quickly it flaps its wings.
If you wonder what the hummingbird eats, you should know that it feeds on the nectar of flowers and plays an important role in maintaining of the balance of the ecosystems, since it is in charge of pollinating the flowers, that is, it transfers the pollen from one flower to another and contributes to its reproduction if both are part of the same species. This process is possible because when the beak is introduced to feed on nectar, the pollen sticks to it and is transferred to the next plant that the bird visits to continue eating.
Now that you know the most important function that this wonderful bird performs, here is an explanation of the life cycle of the hummingbird for children of all ages.
Hummingbird Migration
Hummingbirds are birds that fly to different areas depending on the weather and, therefore, this migration is part of their cycle of life. When the winter season arrives, they fly to warmer areas, but only temporarily, because when temperatures begin to rise they return. What does this mean? The hummingbird recognizes a territory as its own and tries not to stray too far from it, so in cold times it only leaves it to survive, but returns to the same places when summer arrives.
During this period, hummingbirds prepare to breed when temperatures rise, so their main activity is eating. A hummingbird's metabolism is already so fast that it needs to feed every ten minutes to survive.
Hummingbird Play
When the high temperatures arrive, the hummingbirds return to their old homes and the mating season beginsAs a curious fact about the life cycle of the hummingbird, we can say that the males return between 8 and 10 days before the females.
The protagonist of the mating is the male, who carries out a ritual with all kinds of flights with pirouettes, dances and even some songs to attract the attention of the female. Thus, they can reach great heights before starting to fly at full speed, producing a kind of buzzing noise with their wings and capturing the attention of the females. Meanwhile, the female is in charge of choosing the one she considers suitable to reproduce with
After mating with this pair, the male can repeat the ritual with other females, as he does not form lifelong bonds like other birds, which are faithful to their partner. To discover them, consult our article "The animals most faithful to their partner". Likewise, during the next breeding cycle the female will mate with another male. It should be noted that each male has an established territory, since the hummingbird is a highly territorial animal, and will only agree to mate with one or more females within this area.
Hummingbird nest building
After fertilization, the female is responsible for building the nest before laying the eggs. She busies herself with this task by collecting branches, pieces of tree bark and, in the end, she binds everything together using cobwebs.
The hummingbird's nest is about 6 centimeters high and 3 to 4 centimeters wide. Also, it has a conical shape. The female will only use it for laying and rearing the chicks, since she does not live in them
Hummingbird laying and incubation
The female lays between 1 and 3 eggs which should be incubated for 18 or 21 days. Hummingbird eggs are among the smallest in the world, barely reaching a size similar to that of a legume grain, such as a bean or lentil.
Incubation is very important, as it allows the development of the chick inside the egg. That is why the female focuses on this activity and only leaves the nest to feed, no more than a few minutes every hour. Despite her efforts, unfortunately on many occasions not all the eggs hatch or not all the chicks survive.
Hummingbird Birth and Breeding
When the incubation process is over, the chicks will hatch. The calves are just 2 centimeters long and weigh less than a gram, are born blind, and are entirely dependent on their mother for both food and body heat. The female leaves the nest more than 100 times a day to feed her chicks, whom she feeds with nectar, but also with some regurgitated insects. In this way, the life cycle of the hummingbird is reactivated with the birth of new specimens.
One week after hatching, the first feathers begin to appear and the chick is double its size at birth. At three weeks they are able to flyand begin to venture around the nest. In this stage, in addition, the mother instructs them about the mechanism to obtain food.
Hummingbird Adult
After the first month of birth, and sometimes even a little less, the hummingbird can be considered an adult. It will leave the nest and will never return to it. In this way, the life cycle of the hummingbird repeats itself. The bird will spend most of its time feeding and will wait for the migration season to repeat the steps described above.
How long does a hummingbird live?
Although the life expectancy of hummingbirds ranges between 3 and 5 years, most die as chicks (especially when they are 3 pups, it is very laborious for the mother to take care of them) or before they are one year old, once they have left the nest. However, when they get past this period, their mortality rate decreases considerably.
And if you wonder how long a hummingbird lives and what it needs to live, in the previous sections in which we have detailed the hummingbird's life cycle, each of its needs is specified, such as the constant search for hot weather or food.
Hummingbird Stages
We have explained the life cycle of the hummingbird for children and adults in a simple and clear way, however, below we provide a brief summary of the stages of development of the hummingbird:
- Migration: occurs in cold seasons to move to warmer climates.
- Mating: they return home when the weather is good and reproduction begins, with characteristic rituals.
- Laying and incubation of eggs: they lay between 1 and 3 eggs and incubate them for 18-21 days.
- Breeding: once the eggs hatch, the female dedicates herself to breeding, feeding the chicks and giving them warmth.
- Adultez: when it is one month old, the chick leaves the nest and is considered an adult.
Now that you know in detail what the hummingbird's life cycle is, what a hummingbird eats and how many young a hummingbird can have, don't miss these articles about this curious bird:
- The Legend of the Mayan Hummingbird
- Types of hummingbirds
