BLANE KLEMEK OUTDOORS: Hummingbirds are impossibly small and surprisingly fast

One of our most beloved seasonal avian residents has arrived, and right on time. Here where I live in the Northland, ruby-throated hummingbirds show up each year around Mother’s Day weekend.

So, on the morning of May 11 outside my house, it didn’t surprise me when I observed my first hummingbird — a male — zipping by the windows undoubtedly looking for a feeder that wasn’t there. “Darn,” I thought, “I should’ve had a feeder out for you. Sorry! I’ll get on it.”

These tiny birds, though abundant and ubiquitous, are paradoxically mysterious at the same time. Questions and myths about hummingbirds are as widespread as there are species throughout the world.

Hummingbirds are members of the aptly named avian order, Apodiformes. This Latin name essentially means “without foot.” Of course, hummingbirds do have feet and legs; it’s just that their feet and legs are minuscule and are used almost exclusively for perching and standing rather than walking.

Do hummingbirds migrate by hitching rides on the backs of swans and geese, or under the wings of such birds? Not hardly. Some hummingbirds, of which there are over 300 species worldwide, including around 15 species here in North America, migrate enormous distances every year.

The ruby-throated hummingbird, Minnesota’s only breeding and nesting hummingbird, migrates each autumn to Central and South America by flying non-stop across the Gulf of Mexico. They can do this by “fattening up,” before migrating. Hummingbirds can accumulate fat equal to half of their own body weight, thus providing them with enough energy to make the trip.

What do hummingbirds eat? Mostly nectar from flowers, but hummingbirds also capture and eat insects. Some 90% of a hummingbird’s diet, however, is nectar from flowers such as honeysuckle and jewelweed, and perhaps supplemented by sugar water from our feeders.

But if you’ve ever seen a hummingbird suddenly dive and abruptly turn in mid-air, it could be that you just witnessed one capturing a tiny flying insect like a mosquito or gnat.

Is a hummingbird’s bill and tongue hollow? It is often believed that since the birds forage on liquid nectar, a hummingbird’s tongue and bill must be hollow like a straw and that the nectar is therefore drawn inside their throats and stomachs by a sucking action.

But truth be told, while hummingbirds do possess two mandibles and a tongue, none of these body parts are hollow. Their tongues are used simply to probe flowers and feeders in order to extract nectar and sugar water, which in turn is then squeezed off their tongues inside their mouths.

How do they feed their offspring? Hummingbird chicks are fed a mixture of partially digested nectar and insects that are regurgitated into their gaping hungry mouths. Like a sword-swallowing circus act, female hummingbirds insert their long bills inside their youngsters’ mouths and feed them protein-packed meals.

Why do hummingbirds attack other hummingbirds? In the case of our resident ruby-throated hummingbirds, male birds are extremely territorial and will aggressively guard food sources and female hummingbirds from other males.

If you have ever watched a bed of flowers frequented by hummingbirds or observed a hummingbird feeder for any length of time, you are sure to observe this behavior. Males show little tolerance of other males inside their breeding territory.

Where do hummingbirds go during the summertime when they’re not visiting our feeders? Does this really happen?

Insects, and plenty of them, are exactly what young and growing hummingbird chicks need during this critical time of the summer. And once the youngsters have fledged, the parents spend a few additional days feeding their demanding brood even more insects.

Soon afterward, the whole family, sometimes multiple families, frequent feeders, flower gardens, and wildflower patches seeking out sweet sugar water and nectar.

Hummingbirds are fascinating. Impossibly small and surprisingly fast, questions about them are unending. In the case of our resident ruby-throated hummingbirds with wingspans of barely 5 inches wide and weighing not much more than a penny, one can only wonder while listening and watching and learning, as we get out and enjoy the great outdoors.

Blane Klemek is a Minnesota DNR wildlife manager. He can be reached at bklemek@yahoo.com.