For once English has the prettiest word for hummingbirds. It's 'Kolibri' in German, 'Colibri' in French, and 'Κολιμπρί' (pronounced kolimpri) in Greek. Interesting, maybe, that all are so similar. It's also unusual that the words exist at all as there are no hummingbirds in Europe.
Something I didn't realise until this evening is that there are no hummingbirds other than in the Americas and most of those are in central America and the more temperate areas around it. Only one hummingbird has any ability to withstand freezing temperatures and that only for a short time so long as there is an adequate food supply.
They also have a great love of sugar as they won't bother with plants if the nectar is less than 10% sugar. When they discover a good sugar source, they will defend it and will drive off other hummingbirds that come near it.
So, let's see some pics. These are rather less than National Geographic but they're incredibly difficult to photograph because they are blazing fast. At least one variety has been clocked at thirty-four mph, not bad for a bird that's three to five inches long and it's probably only the smallest ones that can do it. One species is so tiny that the individuals weigh less than a U.S. penny.
Something I didn't realise until this evening is that there are no hummingbirds other than in the Americas and most of those are in central America and the more temperate areas around it. Only one hummingbird has any ability to withstand freezing temperatures and that only for a short time so long as there is an adequate food supply.
They also have a great love of sugar as they won't bother with plants if the nectar is less than 10% sugar. When they discover a good sugar source, they will defend it and will drive off other hummingbirds that come near it.
So, let's see some pics. These are rather less than National Geographic but they're incredibly difficult to photograph because they are blazing fast. At least one variety has been clocked at thirty-four mph, not bad for a bird that's three to five inches long and it's probably only the smallest ones that can do it. One species is so tiny that the individuals weigh less than a U.S. penny.
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