The sneeze began as a tickle in my right nostril. It was almost imperceptible, like a mosquito landing lightly on my arm, ready to strike. Or a lone butterfly flapping its wings, producing a breeze that would unfurl into a tornado; a tidal wave of latent energy that demanded to be unleashed. Some people can […]
Tag: Hummingbirds
36 extraordinary, astonishing bird facts, including a bird that has killed humans, a bird that likes to get drunk and one that can fly backwards
Did you know flamingoes are pink on the inside as well as the outside? Or how about the wild bird that’s over 70 years old? And have you ever wondered why woodpeckers don’t get concussion from their never-ending pecking? We’ve rounded up some of the most extraordinary facts about birds and their fascinating world….. 32 […]
2,000 species at high risk of extinction from natural disasters, study finds
In the aftermath of Hurricane Maria’s assault on the Caribbean island of Dominica in 2017, researchers made a heartbreaking discovery: dead and dying hummingbirds scattered across the forest floor. Among them were purple-throated caribs (Eulampis jugularis), the specialized pollinators of the island’s Heliconia plants. This single storm threatened an evolutionary partnership millions of years in […]
In California, Hummingbird Beaks Have Been Transformed by Feeders
The profusion of hummingbird feeders in California homes has not only allowed some hummingbirds to expand their range, but has also altered the shape of their beaks. Native to Southern California, Anna’s hummingbirds have, over the last century, extended their range into the northern end of the state. Their migration followed the adoption of feeders […]
‘No One Voted to Slaughter Hummingbirds’: Trump’s DOI Guts Bird Protections, Again
The Trump administration moved on Friday to weaken protections for migratory birds threatened by industrial activities, including oil and gas operations. Acting Solicitor of the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) Gregory Zerzan restored an opinion from the first Trump administration that the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) “does not apply to the accidental or […]
Hummingbird Chicks Observed for the First Time Pretending to be Caterpillars to Avoid Being Eaten
When Jay Falk and Scott Taylor first saw the white-necked Jacobin hummingbird chick in Panama’s dense rainforest, the bird biologists didn’t know what they were looking at. The day-old bird, smaller than a pinky finger, had brown fuzz all over its body. When Falk and Taylor walked closer to the nest, the chick began twitching […]
Hummingbirds Live an Extreme Lifestyle Thriving on All-Sugar Diet That Would Put Us in a Coma
Everyone loves to watch hummingbirds—tiny, brightly colored blurs that dart about, hovering at flowers and pugnaciously defending their ownership of a feeder. But to the scientists who study them, hummingbirds offer much more than an entertaining spectacle. Their small size and blazing metabolism mean they live life on a knife-edge, sometimes needing to shut down […]
These ‘Lost’ Bird Species Haven’t Been Seen in at Least a Decade – and Scientists Want Help Finding Them
Nearly 12,000 species of birds exist in the wild, and every day, humans document their sightings of the animals. But a handful of avian species haven’t been spotted in years—or, in some cases, in more than a century. Now, scientists have compiled an up-to-date list of “lost” birds—and they’re asking members of the public to […]