| 2003 Hummingbird Lovers Club Research Project |
| HUMMINGBIRD ADVERSITIES |
| As the smallest bird on the planet, hummingbirds are watched and enjoyed by many people in the western hemisphere. However many of those that love to watch the little elusive birds have no idea of the many problems that they face in their daily survival. To appreciate the sheer tenacity of hummingbirds, the 2003 members of the Yahoo and MSN Hummingbird Lovers Club have shared personal experiences as well as internet research on these wee jewels. |
| HABITAT DISTRUCTION |
| MIGRATION HAZARDS |
| ANIMALS OF PREY |
| ACTS OF AGGRESSION |
| FEEDER PROBLEMS |
| UNNATURAL DANGERS |
| PESTICIDES |
| WEATHER CONDITIONS |
| REPRODUCTION PROBLEMS |
| In a hummingbird’s world, food comprises of nectar and insects. Most of its nectar comes from tubular flowering plants, which are native to their breeding or wintering grounds. Humans supplement this nectar with specially designed feeders filled with sugar water. The gnats, tiny spiders and other small insects that the hummingbird eats are also native to the same areas that the hummingbird lives in. Both of these elements must be available for our little jewels to survive. When either of these is absent, the hummingbirds will leave an area and search them out elsewhere. More and more of our hummingbird’s natural habitat are being replaced by commercial development and general urban sprawl. When a wildflower field or a wetland is cleared of brush and trees for new businesses or homes, wildlife, including hummingbirds, must find food somewhere else. If they don’t, they die and their species becomes extinct. An example given by one of our members proves this. “When we lived in that apartment complex in Louisville, there was a creek running through it. There were bushes, trees, etc. growing all alongside the creek. There was a guy who lived there right by the creek and said he had hummingbirds every single year. They nested and roosted in those bushes and trees all along the creek. One day he looked out of his window and there were men there ripping out all of the bushes and taking out a lot of the trees. He ran outside and told them that is where the hummingbirds live ... they shrugged their shoulders and said "Sir, we're just doing what we are told to do." So, they took out their home in that place and that spring following he saw no hummers at all.” Also when wetlands are filled in, often hummingbirds leave that area and find other areas where water is more available. The same has been found to be true when natural flora and trees are slashed and burned in the tropics where hummingbirds spend their winter. Uses of herbicides to control unwanted plants such as kudzu and purple loosestrife often destroy surrounding ‘good’ plants necessary for wildlife. Proper use of these herbicides only on the plants intended will help assure that nectar rich plants are not killed by accident. Sadly wildfires, both natural and set, kill trees and other vegetation over thousands of acres each year. Not only are hummingbird’s breeding areas endangered but the very migratory paths they use and feed along are left vacant to the necessities of our little jewels. Several hummingbird experts have suggested that habitat destruction, primarily wildfires, may be the leading reason that more rufous hummingbirds have been seen in recent years along the eastern coasts and further inland. Urban sprawl will always continue but if we plant trees for nesting, plant flowering plants for nectar and insects while supplementing it with feeders and include water in our backyard landscaping, we will be doing our part to help insure our hummers that they have what they need to survive. |
| Some hummingbirds migrate only a few hundred miles while others travel thousands of miles. Many dangers can face them as they make this journey. Pressed to fly north by their internal biological clock and need to reproduce their species, some hummingbirds leave their wintering grounds early in the spring and trek across hundreds of miles of water or tall cold mountain peaks. Some species have learned to travel near coastlines to avoid drastic temperature changes. This is where more moderate temperatures will allow nectar rich flowers to already be in bloom. Some species forge ahead into areas where flowers are not yet in bloom and must rely on stealing sap from sapsucker holes for nourishment. While others casually play along the desert flowers then catch the mountain updrafts as the later spring warmth arrives to take them to mountain orchids. Obviously unexpected spring storms can bring quickly changing weather conditions. Nowhere is this more dangerous than over the Gulf of Mexico where the Ruby Throated hummingbird must travel between 375 to 600 miles over open water before reaching food. A slight head wind can be a matter of life or death over the Gulf. A well fattened-up Ruby Throat can store up enough energy to travel non-stop for 26 hours. At a maximum speed of 25 miles per hour, the 600 mile trip from the Yucatan in Mexico to the Texas coast will take that bird 24 hours if there is no head wind or other problems faced along the way before he runs totally out of energy and dies. That means he has only 2 hours of energy left to face any unforeseen adversity and find food when he get to the Texas coast. Other problems that hummingbirds run into during migration is that many flowers haven’t started blooming yet or not blooming enough to supply them with the amount of nectar they need. This is when they must rely on hummingbird feeders. However too often people haven’t put their feeders out in the spring or have already taken them in during the fall migration. Some species seem to follow a more relaxed fall migration, taking a path closer to the coastline and closer to the flowers and insects that they need. However this can cause problems, too. The very months that hummingbirds seem to use to migrate are the very same months that hurricane activity in the Gulf of Mexico and along the Baja California coast are the strongest. We can encourage those living along the hummingbird migration paths to put feeders out early and leave them up for two weeks after they have seen their last hummingbird. In areas where the climate is warmer, leaving a feeder out as far into winter as possible without freezing is encouraged. During times of cooler weather, many people place banana peelings on racks or in suet holders to draw in gnats to add to the hummingbirds need for protein. |
| There is no known animal that preys solely on hummingbirds; however there are several various animals that threaten hummingbirds if the opportunity arises. On average only 60% of hummingbirds survive to fledge. The remaining 40% die in the shell or as nestlings. Hummingbird eggs are eaten by other birds, rodents, reptiles and ants. Hummingbird nestling are also vulnerable to predation because of their small size and inability to protect themselves. They can be preyed upon by a number of animals, including house cats, squirrels, spiders, lizards, snakes and some tree climbing frogs. Birds such as cardinals, jays, black birds, wrens and so on will also eat them. Adult hummers have hazards from roadrunners, hawks, falcons and other birds as well as large insects, like praying mantises and spiders. House cats are one of the biggest threats to birds in general. Feeders should be placed beyond the reach of a cat. Reports of hummingbird remains have been found in Venus fly trap plants as well. Also there have been reports of hummingbirds flying too close to ponds and lakes and being snagged by large-mouth bass and green frogs. |
| Hummingbirds will furiously defend favorable feeding areas in their territory. Early in the season, males will fight off other males to defend a boundary surrounding nectar-rich flowers and well-kept feeders. These same areas are relished by females when they look for good nesting spots, as she knows that the abundance of food will be there when she feeds her chicks. Too many females drain an area’s resources as well as a male’s attention. Her reaction is to chase other females away from her area. The Rufous Hummingbird appears to be the most aggressive in his behavior. He chases other species from feeders, often into another yard. Rarely will one hummingbird kill another but there have been reports of finding impaled birds. However, generally speaking, the aggression of hummingbirds is more of a warning to stay way from that area. |
| Dirty feeders are one of the biggest problems hummingbirds run into in life. Regular dumping, cleaning and refilling are a must. Homemade nectar should be made of 1 part pure cane sugar and 4 parts boiled water. Do Not Use honey, Karo, Jell-O, or Kool-aide. Allow nectar to cool before filling feeders to prevent breakage and reduce any bacteria growth. NEVER USE RED FOOD COLORING. It is not necessary and it is believed to harmful to hummingbirds. Feeders placed in the full sun or above 80 degrees F. should be changed every other day to every day. Feeders do not have to be full for hummingbirds to find. Place feeders in easy to find areas at the beginning of the season then add others to locations that are not as easily defended by the same bird. Inspect your feeders regularly for broken parts that could catch onto a bird’s bill and cause him harm. Also be aware of any mold growth on the feeder parts such as up under the snap-on flowers on a feeder. These can be cleaned with a simple diluted bleach solution of ¼ cup bleach to a gallon of water then rinsed well and air dry. |
| Sadly windows claim the lives of some of our little jewels. From the outside they appear reflective and can appear as just another part of the sky to a bird, until it is too late to dodge it. Most die of broken necks but some do survive with broken bills, which to a hummingbird may cause him to be unable to feed. Most states have a rehabilitator that can come to the rescue when a hummingbird is found like this. Simple window clings can break up that reflection allowing bird to see a window and avoid it. The sides of high-rise buildings as well as automobiles have been known to block a bird’s path. Electrical transmission towers are build at nearly the same height that hummingbirds usually fly while migrating and have been known to confuse them and black their paths of flight. Garages have an alluring affect on some hummingbirds. Often it is the red dangling door pull that first sparks a hummingbird’s curiosity. Then they lose their bearings and become lost inside a garage. Since their hovering flight is so quiet, they’re not noticed when the large door is closed and they starve to death. One member suggests that everyone take a couple of minutes to spray paint any hanging red pulls in garages a black or light blue color. Screened in porches can also cause an imprisonment danger to hummingbirds, as well as open buildings and barns. Often a hummingbird will fly to the highest spot in a structure and die there unable to find the exit closer to the ground. |
| Since insects provide the protein in a hummingbird diet, it is extremely important to a female to have a healthy supply of bugs available to feed her chicks and insure their survival. Baby hummingbirds grow at such a high rate of speed and protein plays a major role in that process. Pesticides kill spiders which hummingbirds are dependant. Females collect spider web to use in the construction of their nests. Without ample supply of web, the nest might not be able to withstand high winds or protect the eggs and babies. Many pesticides, including mass sprayings for West Nile Virus carrying mosquitoes, are harmful to birds and can make them just as ill as imported diseases such as West Nile. Pesticides can get in water that hummingbirds drink as well as bathes in. Poisoned bugs can also be eaten by our jewels causing them to become ill. |
| From hurricanes in the Gulf to freak cold snaps and ice storms in the north, weather holds a major key in hummingbird survival. Tornados and high winds can blow over prized nesting spots and nests. Strong head winds will slow a hummingbird’s migration, and can cause them to be stranded in areas where little or no food is available. Too much rain will cause flowers to produce less nectar while too little rain will kill the plants outright. Wildfires can strip away entire acres of nectar rich wildflowers that hummingbirds depend on as well as destroy feeders around homes. Nests in small trees and bushes can be swept away in a flood. Feeders may be the only way birds faced with adverse weather conditions will survive. |
| Forty percent of all hummingbirds do not make it to fledgling age. This can be caused by the egg not hatching due to predators or possible the shell was too thin to protect it. It may be caused by a young bird falling from the nest or possibly the death of the mother or poison in the food chain. Some hummingbirds attempt to raise several broods each year. This is their opportunity to replace numbers lost to their many misfortunes. Cross-breeding in some species is their way of passing their genes along, although it has been noticed that most hybrids do not lay as many eggs as their pure-bred counterparts. As in most of the animal world, the strong survive while the weak die off, thus strengthening the species as a whole. |
| So as you can see, the life of a hummingbird is not easy. They have many adversities to face each day and to realize just how strongly they fight these battles is to be in awe that much more of such a tiny fragile creature. |
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| ACKNOWLEDGMENTS |
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| Thanks to the participating members of this 2003 Research Project. Sandi (MD), JB (LA),Karan (MI),Melody (NV),Su (MI), Darn (MO), Vicki (NJ), Lynne (MO),Bill Hilton (SC),Marcia (PA), DJ (NC), TJ (NC), Kem (MS), Misty (NJ), Peeka (KY),Phyllis (OK),Von (MI-OH), Dolly (PA),Russ (KY), Wigi (AK), Teri (CA), Lady Anne (CA), Anita (CT), Sunday (LA) and Lizz (AR) Thanks to various internet sites and hummingbird authorities that we used for information, education and verification. Bob Sargent, “Ruby Throat Hummingbirds” Nancy Newfield Bill Hilton Allen Chartier http://www.sabo.org/hbfaqs.htm http://www.cnr.vt.edu/fishex/nmex_main/species/040935.htm http://www.catchphotorelease.com/mantis_hummingbird.htm http://www.hiltonpond.org/ http://www.carolinabirdclub.org/ http://birding.about.com/library/ http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/hummingbird/ http://www.hummingbirds.net/ http://tzunun.home.mindspring.com/ http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/ARKS.html |