He Colibri life cycle Is relatively short, since most of them die during their first year of life. In general, this bird has a life expectancy of three or five years once it manages to spend its first year of life.
The hummingbird is one of the smallest bird species in the world. It is native to the Americas and is the only bird that can fly in reverse. Their wings can be beat between 12 and 90 times per second, depending on the size and particular species of hummingbird.
In general, males are territorial and mate within their territories with different females.
This bird can be found in different types of habitats, ranging from deserts to mountains and jungles. The red-throated hummingbird, noted for inhabiting North America, is known to be the most enduring species of hummingbird, being able to live up to 8 years.
In general, the life cycle of the hummingbird during adulthood is renewed annually, passing through the mating season in the spring, after which the hummingbird female must make a nest to deposit and incubate their eggs.
Hummingbirds, like humans, are known to be an altricial species, meaning that they are born completely defenseless and require the care of their mothers to survive until they can fend for themselves.
Unlike many bird species, hummingbirds are not a monogamous species, meaning that during adulthood they can have multiple companions and join with them only to reproduce. Males have nothing to do with females after mating.
Migration and mating
The hummingbird is found within the species that migrates to warm areas during the winter months.
Once spring arrives, the hummingbird returns to its territory to reproduce. This return takes place belatedly in the month of March. Males migrate back to their territory about eight days before females (Chambers, 2017).
When the females begin to arrive, the males perform striking movements in the air to attract them. In this way, they reach heights of almost 15 meters before going at maximum speed and make patterns and figures in the air. The sound of the males' wings is like a buzzing and together with their twitter they arouse the interest of the females.
Females choose males to mate depending on the demonstrations they make in the air to woo them.
In this way, if the female is attracted to the male, he will agree to mate with him in his territory, otherwise he will go to the territory of another male. Generally, a single male is likely to mate with several females within its territory (Freeman-Baer, 2017).
Nesting
After mating, the female of the hummingbird will have little or nothing to do with the male for the making of the nest and the laying of the eggs. In this way, the adult female hummingbird manufactures a cup-shaped nest without male assistance.
This nest is usually made with branches or pieces of tree bark above a small sloping branch in open area or stream.
The female tends to collect cobwebs to wrap the outside of the nest. Many females also camouflage their nests with bits of moss and place it in line with other plants.
A hummingbird nest is about the size of a ping-pong ball or a walnut shell, about 4 centimeters in diameter and 6 centimeters high. This nest is used exclusively to deposit the eggs, since the hummingbirds do not use it to sleep (Foster, 2017).
Eggs
Hummingbird females deposit at most three white eggs in their nests. These eggs are the size of coffee beans or peas, the smallest eggs being deposited by any bird in the world.
Occasionally a female may deposit a single egg, but will rarely deposit more than two. This is because two is the number of offspring that the female can take care of optimally. If they were three, they would most likely die at an early age.
The female should incubate the eggs for 18 or 19 days, leaving the nest only for five minutes every hour. Sometimes, in colder climates, the incubation process may take up to 21 days (Macken, 2006).
Puppies
Hummingbirds, like humans, are considered to be an altricial species, meaning that when born they are completely dependent on their mothers for a prolonged period of time to survive.
Thus, a hummingbird at birth will be at least two centimeters high and the conservation of its body temperature and feeding will depend on the mother for several days (Ginglingo, 2014).
The mother must distribute her time effectively, so that she can collect food from the nectar of flowers and small insects and, in the same way, can keep her young ones warm. The mother must load the food in its beak and then regurgitate it in the peaks and gorges of its young.
Approximately, on the eighth day after hatching, the hatchlings begin to produce their first feathers.
In this way, a hummingbird mother will have to stay with her offspring for three weeks. Once the offspring are ready to fend for themselves, they will leave the nest (Schwartz, 2001).
Adulthood
An adult hummingbird will spend most of its life eating, since it needs to feed every ten minutes or so. This means that an adult hummingbird needs to consume two thirds of its body weight daily in food. This is because the hummingbird is the animal with the fastest metabolism in the world.
Hummingbirds are not"romantic"birds so they are only related to mate, and may have different partners throughout their lives.
It is believed that males only relate to females after mating to give way within their territory to seek food and thus be able to feed the offspring (Lazaroff, 1995).
Hummingbird Life Cycle Coloring for Kids
If you are a teacher and want to teach the hummingbird cycle to children, you can use these coloring pictures.
References
- Chambers, L. (2017). Net. Retrieved from About Hummingbirds: hummingbirds.net.
- Foster, B. (2017). Sciencing. Retrieved from"Life Cycle of the Hummingbird: sciencing.com".
- Freeman-Baer, D. (2017). IFL Science. Obtained from Hummingbirds, From Eggs To Nestlings: iflscience.com.
- Ginglingo (Address). (2014). The life cycle of Rufous hummingbirds from nest building to raising.
- Lazaroff, D.W. (1995). The Secret Lives of Hummingbirds. Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Press.
- Macken, J.E. (2006). The Life Cycle of a Hummingbird. Weekly Reader Early Learning Library.
- Schwartz, D. M. (2001). Gareth Stevens Publishing LLLP.