Humming While They Work

By Lamar James, U of A Cooperative Extension

First posted on 12-11-2007

HOPE, Ark. - The hummingbird is one of the more popular birds that bird enthusiasts enjoy watching, for many reasons, says Gerald Alexander, Hempstead County staff chair with the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service.

“Hummingbirds are remarkable creatures,” Alexander noted. “When you see their antics around bird feeders, you can’t help but be captivated by the speed and agility of these tiny creatures.”

The wings are a blur and that’s because a hummingbird’s wing beats about 60-80 times a second in normal flight and up to 200 times a second in courtship dives.”

The average heart rate for a hummingbird is about 250 beats a minute while at rest and up to 1,260 beats while flying.

The heart rate can be reduced dramatically when the bird encounters unexpected cool weather by going into a trance-like state called torpor, a type of hibernation where the body temperature and the body’s metabolic rate and heart rate slows. Once environmental temperatures rise, the bird can resume normal activities.

You won’t see hummingbirds this time of year because they pack their bags and head south of the border when cooler weather hits.

“Hummingbirds migrate two times a year. In the spring, the hummingbird migrates from Central America to its breeding grounds in North America,” Alexander says. “Some hummers migrate as far north as Canada. In the fall, the birds migrate back to Central America.”

As any duck hunter knows, migration is not unique to the hummingbird.

Alexander says hummingbirds are loners, preferring to migrate alone instead of in large groups like other birds.

They also decide individually when to bid adios and head south. Some leave as early as July, while others leave in September, or when the cooler weather forces them to leave.

“Homeowners who place hummingbird feeders around their homes shouldn’t remove the feeders in an attempt to force the hummingbirds to leave,” the county agent says.

“The hummingbirds you see around your feeders today are likely not the same birds you saw last week,” Alexander says. “As the hummingbirds from farther north begin to fly south, they will stop wherever available food can be found. Those birds that decide to migrate later will still need to find food as they begin their journey south. Removing your hummingbird feeders too soon may mean the difference between life and death for the late fliers.”

Hummingbirds also decide individually what migration route they take. Most fly over land and stop frequently along the way, while others decide to take the riskier non-stop 18- to 20-hour trip over the Gulf of Mexico.

As you might imagine, the Gulf trip takes a physical toll on the birds.

“The hummingbirds that choose to fly over the Gulf will lose more than half of their body weight,” Alexander says.

The Cooperative Extension Service is part of the U of A Division of Agriculture.

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