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contain the smallest birds
in the Aves kingdom with species of
10 cm in overall length and weighing
only several grams. They possess
long, slender bills and are
admired for their amazing flying
skills. They
make up the family of Trochilidae
in the order of Apodiformes
and are found only in the Americas with around 325 species, which are grouped in 107
genera. Ecuador boasts of
an amazing 132
species grouped into 57 genera,
encountered in many diverse habitats, from the foot of glaciers
at 5000m right down to
the Pacific ocean or Amazon Lowlands. Only in
Galapagos are they absent, never been able to make the long
crossing. |
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Guamote, Chimborazo |
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The largest among the smallest birds is
the aptly named
Giant Hummingbird,
also called the Patagonian Giant, which reaches
a size of 16cm. In Ecuador it is found in the drier Andean
valleys right up to 3800m. It likes to feed on the
flowers of Agaves but also visits many other flowers. As
it can be appreciated in those pictures,
they are fierce fighters
defending aggressively their feeding territories.
The ones living far south also migrate in the
winters long distances to wamer tropical regions of South
America. |
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Quilotoa Crater |
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From
all the birds in the aves phylum, colibris (as they are
known in Spanish and many other languages) are the most
advanced flyers, being real flying acrobats as they are
able to hover in the air, fly
backwards, sideways, up, down or even upside down
for short distances. A unique figure-eight motion of their wings with a beat of up to
78 a second
enables them to do that. This fast wing beat also produces the distinct
humming sound, from where its popular English name derived.
That however takes a lot of energy and hummers are most often
seen feeding on nectar to obtain the necessary energy. What
enables them to feed on nectar within the flower
are their long
and slender bills with a
long extensible tongue.
They are very important pollinators for flowers and both adapted to each
other over time (co-evolution). Pollen are deposited on the bill and then transported
to other plants. Another important food source are tiny invertebrates,
which are taken by gleaning or
by hawking. |
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Another wonderful and striking
feature of hummingbirds is their
iridescent
plumage, especially on the head and throat (gorget) of
male birds (females and inmatures are much plainer).
That iridescence however can only be observed if the light
is
reflected directly towards the observer (as in
photo to the right of the male Ecuadorian Hillstar)
otherwise the colors appear dark (to the left). |
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The small hummingbirds are well adapted to many different
environments and can be even found in city centers of large towns,
visiting the garden flowers or hummingbird feeders put out
by the owners. Hummingbirds are the only birds which are
able to drop their body temperatures
by as much as 25° Celsius.
They lower their
metabolism especially in times of cold
temperatures or food deprivation so to conserve valuable
energy. In Ecuador the ones that live in the high altitudes
of the paramo regions
use this state of torpor
at night and become active again in the warmer daytime.
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Hummingbirds do not form pair bonds and come only together to mate. Both
establish their own personal territories, which they
defend aggressively against any intruders. The females look for an
area with good nesting sites whereas the males search
for good feeding grounds,
close to the female's territory. Females are allowed to enter
and feed in those established areas and the male tries to mate
with as many females as possible. Aerial performances
with steep climbs and seemingly suicidal dives and flashing of
the brilliant head and throat patches are typical male
courtship displays. Once the mating is done all the rest is
left then to the females,
which lay 2 eggs one to
three days apart. The hatching then is
asynchronous and the altricial chicks are born naked. The
mother feed them till they are ready to leave the nest after a
month. Two to
three broods are possibly within a year. |
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Females build
cup shaped
nests
of soft material, put normally on branches or any
other
support. The nest to the left by a female Ecuadorian
Hillstar is located on a ledge below the roof of Pichincha
mountain refuge at 4600m. Hermits however build
hanging nests and the one in the middle with the white
elliptical egg is suspended from a palm leaf in the Amazon
rainforest. The last one to the right from the Mindo
cloudforest area with recently hatched chicks is put on a
tiny stem between leaves. |
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Birding Vocabulary |
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Territory:
an area
established by a bird for feeding or nesting purposes and
defended against any intruders. |
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Topor:
a period of
reduced metabolism similar to hibernation, in which birds can
save energy |
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