The Science
There are approximately 375 species of hummingbirds, all occurring in the New World from Alaska to Patagonia, although the great majority are found in Central and South America. At adulthood, they are the smallest birds reaching only 5.0–23 cm (2–9 in) in length: the smallest is the bee hummingbird, the giant hummingbird the largest. They can weigh as little as 2.0 g (0.07 oz) or over 31 grams (1.09 oz).
Known, and named, for the distinctive humming or buzzing sound created by their beating wings as they hover, hummingbird wings flap at a rate of 12 to 99 beats per second. Specialized characteristics including exceptional metabolic capacity, adaptations to high altitude, sensitive visual and communication enable rapid, maneuverable flight. The males’ brilliant plumage is the most diverse of all birds. Most hummingbirds do not migrate, but the rufous hummingbird does travel twice a year between Alaska and Mexico, a 3,900-mile journey.
Hummingbirds are tiny acrobats, flying backwards, horizontally, and vertically, turning in an instant, full speed flight to stopping on a dime. In sustaining the rapid wingbeats required for flight and hovering, hummingbirds expend the human equivalent of 150,000 calories per day or the equivalent of about 10 times the energy consumption of a marathon runner.
Subsisting primarily on nectar, hummingbirds will eat spiders, flies, wasps, and ants if the opportunity presents itself. Ther tongues have a forked end with featherlike edges with twin internal canals through which nectar is consumed. Once stored within the tongue, it’s retracted from the flower and the nectar is swallowed.
The Folklore
Norwegian artist, Linda Ursin, notes that hummingbird folklore, myth, and legend abound throughout the New World.
The Aztec God, Huītzilōpōchtli, was considered Sun God and God of War. The Aztec origin story says Huitzilopochtli brought the Aztec people to the Valley of Mexico, and as a result the hummingbird (“chuparosa”) has come to symbolize strength in life. Warriors who died in battle would become hummingbirds and fly away to join Huītzilōpōchtli.
The Maya believed the first wedding was between two hummingbirds. Thought to be messengers from the spirit world, hummingbirds are powerful symbols of Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), a visit from one during the holiday a sign from a deceased relative.
The Taino people from Colombia believed hummingbirds a symbol of rebirth. In Jamaica, it is the national bird. In North America, Cherokee legend holds that a hummingbird’s speed and swiftness helped a medicine man heal an old woman. The Hopi and Zuni believe they were responsible for convincing the Gods to bring rain; hence water jugs are painted with hummingbird images.
The Personal
For years I thought of hummingbirds as exceedingly rare creatures. I’d only see them occasionally, perhaps because I lived in urban settings where their food sources were scarce.
In 2013, while at my mother’s western North Carolina mountain cabin, I experienced my first hummingbird “glimmering:” dozens gathered around, competing for the feeder hanging on the porch. Since that first encounter, I’ve longed to see such a magical mass gathering and returned to her cabin annually but, alas, the winged assembly never materialized again.
For years now, we’ve hung hummingbird feeders outside as enticements and supplemental food sources. Planting pollinator gardens has also drawn increased numbers of hummingbirds to our home. On bright warm summer days, Joscelyn and I will sit on the porch as the hummingbirds flit and buzz about, bickering and dive-bombing one another and entertaining us for hours.
My Mom passed away in 2017 so visits to her mountain cabin came to an end, as did watching those hummingbird gatherings. She had various totems throughout her 83 years; frogs, moose, and, naturally, hummingbirds. I like to think that every now and again she comes to visit while we sit on our porch watching the hummingbird show.
They say that as you get older, that you inevitably become a birder. If that’s the price I must pay for transforming into a hummingbird when I leave this earth to join the Sun God, I can live with that.
(All photographs copyright Mark Caicedo/PuraVida Photography)
