They will instead compete with each other for nectar, which explains the hullabaloo around flowering gardens or bird feeders. Interestingly, hummingbirds do not forage or fend off predators together. This explains why their movements are often tied to the changing pattern of flower production over time and space. In order to maintain their fast-paced lifestyle, hummingbirds must be able to locate reliable sources of nectar from flowering plants. To the flying acrobatics add speed: their wings beat about 70 times per second in direct flight, and more than 200 times per second while diving. They are tremendously agile fliers they are the only vertebrates capable of staying in one place during flight and flying backward and upside-down as well. Hummingbirds have powerful down- and up-beat wing flaps. After mating, the female protects and cares for the eggs and chicks by herself. Hummingbirds lay eggs as tiny as peas in equally tiny cup-shaped nests made from spider webs and leaves. As expected, small birds mean small eggs. Glittering-throated Emerald (Photo by David Huggins)ĭespite being the smallest of birds, they have been built to live an extraordinary life. The true intensity of these colours are seen when the hummingbird turns its head to catch the sunlight. Males, and sometimes females, have small, reflective, colourful feathers on the throat and upper chest. Their wings are sabre-shaped for precise flight control. They have long, narrow bills to sip nectar. They are tiny, about as heavy as a pack of gum. Hummingbirds make up their own bird family. Most recently the Glittering-throated Emerald ( Amazilia fimbriata) was sighted in the country’s Northern Range bumping the total up to an unofficial 19. Trinidad and Tobago is home to 18 dazzling species of hummingbirds. White-tailed Sabrewing (Photo by Steve Laycock)Īs retribution for their evil deed, the hummingbird gods opened up the ground beneath the village and summoned a lake of pitch that swallowed everything, including the people! The hummingbirds, however, were spared and can now be found throughout the island. They carried on with their celebrations paying no attention to their belief that these sacred hummingbirds held the spirits of their ancestors. They plucked the shimmering feathers off the tiny birds and adorned their own bodies. They wanted to celebrate, but, since the unexpected attack prevented them from hunting that day, they feasted on hummingbirds. The rival tribe surrendered and left the village as quickly as they could. On one day a rival tribe made a sudden attack but the warriors fought with all their might to protect their land. The Pitch Lake was believed to be covered by lush green forest inhabited by an Amerindian tribe. It sluggishly replenishes itself causing a “stirring” action in the lake which causes trees and other objects to appear, disappear and re-emerge! This Lake is the world’s largest commercial deposit of natural asphalt. The Pitch Lake is located in the village of La Brea in southwest Trinidad and covers 100 acres. These birds are also featured in the story of origin of one of Trinidad’s natural wonders: The Pitch Lake. It is reported by historians that Amerindians first named Trinidad, Iere (or Kairi, Caeri) for the hummingbird yerette (or ierette). Hummingbirds, in particular, were revered by Amerindian tribes. In Trinidad and Tobago-and possibly the entire Caribbean region-birds were thought to be messengers of the gods or representation of the gods themselves. Most cultures around the world have superstitious beliefs, some of which involve birds. Glittering-throated Emerald (photo by David Huggins) Trinidad is home to 18 species of hummingbirds – we are all envious of this diversity! Aliya Hosein shares a folk tale of the role these birds played in the creation of one of Trinidad’s natural wonders-The Pitch Lake-and also some amazing natural history facts about these tiny but mighty birds.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |