Unless you have "eagle eyes", spotting a hummingbird in its natural environment is quite difficult. The speed of flight makes them almost undetectable, unless we just happen to catch them drinking nectar from a flower.
One of its many common names is "zunzún", which refers to the sound produced by a hummingbird's wings, like a buzzing sound. In this article on our site we will talk about why hummingbirds flap their wings very fast, their speed and other curiosities.
Characteristics of hummingbirds
Hummingbirds are birds belonging to a subfamily of apodiform birds (small-legged birds) called Trochilinae, they are commonly called Hummingbird, for their way of obtaining food. There are more than 300 species of hummingbirds, distributed throughout the American continent, but where there is greater diversity is in Central America.
In general, they are small birds, among them is the smallest bird in the world, the hummingbird zunzuncito (Mellisuga helenae), which measures no more than 5.5 centimeters from beak to tail. Although there is also the giant hummingbird (Patagona gigas), which measures about 25 centimeters.
In addition to flight, one of the most fascinating characteristics of these animals is their beak Generally it has a conical, straight and elongated shape, but others may be curved up or down, they may even have beaks almost as long as their body.
Some hummingbird species have co-evolved with the plant species they usually feed on, for example the plant Heliconia tortuosa has co-evolved along with two species of hummingbirds, the green hermit hummingbird (Phaethornis guy) and the purple hummingbird (Campylopterus hemileucurus), so only these two types of birds can feed on the nectar of this flower (because of the depth at which it is found) In addition, the plant obtains a fast and effective pollination.
The vast majority of hummingbird species have very striking colors that help them blend in with their surroundings.
How many times does a hummingbird flap its wings per second?
Perhaps the most characteristic feature of hummingbirds is their way of flying, unique among birds. Some researchers say that a hummingbird's flight is more similar to insect flight than that of birds, in that it can fly up, down, and even backwards or upside down, they can even remain flying in the air at the same point, something essential for them to feed.
An average hummingbird can beat its wings up to 53 times per second. The fastest speed recorded was 80 beats per second in the amethyst hummingbird (Calliphlox amethystina) and the slowest was that of the giant hummingbird (Patagona gigas), only about 10-15 times per second.
Hummingbirds need to flap their wings so fast to stay "still" in the air while drinking nectar from flowers. In addition, this type of fast flight can make them invisible to predators.
Hummingbird flight aerodynamics
The size of a hummingbird's wings is very small compared to its body. This, together with the design of the wings of a hummingbird, is very different from that of other birds. Having very small wings helps it rise and reduce air resistance in order to stay aloft by optimizing energy.
For these animals, this type of wings is essential, because their legs are very weak and they would not be able to stand up for a long time while eat from the flowers.
How fast does a hummingbird's heart beat?
To maintain wing speed, a hummingbird's heart must also beat very fast, around 1,260 beats per minute, although this rate can drop to as low as 50 beats per minute during hibernation.
When the amount of food available to the hummingbird decreases, they are able to enter a state of hibernation toincrease chances of survival.
This high heart rate makes hummingbirds the animals with the highest metabolic rate in the animal kingdom By comparison, if a being If a human had the same metabolic rate as a hummingbird, it would need to eat 300 pounds of meat daily to sustain itself.
The respiratory rate of these animals is also very high, even at rest, a hummingbird can breathe 250 times per minute.
Despite this, hummingbirds are relatively long-lived animals, some species reaching 5 years of age.
