Furthermore, for the Aztecs, the hummingbird is the powerful sun god Huitzilopochtli, nothing less than the soul of a warrior who fell from the sky. The representation of this bird in life calls whoever sees it to be strong in the face of adversity and above all to trust in personal abilities.
Due to its positive meanings and beauty, the hummingbird is one of the most loved birds in all parts of the world. But, What do they feed on and how do they live?
image.png
Hummingbirds are nectarivores par excellence.
What do hummingbirds eat?
The hummingbirds They are nectarivores par excellence, their long tongue allows them to suck nectar from flowers through the coiled structure on the outside of the tongue.
The flowers that are visited by hummingbirds are tubular, have abundant nectar and generally have a red, pink or orange hue – although hummingbirds visit flowers of all colors. Generally the flowers of which the hummingbird extracts its food, it does not offer a place to perch, as they are hanging flowers, but that is not a problem for them. Hummingbirds are extremely fast animals; they can beat their wings up to 70 times per second, staying in the same place while extracting nectar from the flower.
Often the flower tubes adapt very well with the length of the curve of their beaks. But the most curious case is perhaps that of hummingbird that pierces the flower on the side to extract the nectar due to the impossibility of obtaining it in the common way, thus becoming a nectar thief.
Although hummingbirds They feed mainly on the nectar of flowers, they complement their diet with small insects and spiders that they catch when they visit the flower. It is said that a hummingbird can visit 500 to 3,000 flowers per day.
image.png
Hummingbirds are nectarivores par excellence.
How hummingbirds live
The place where the hummingbird lives It is diverse, they can be found distributed from Alaska to regions of Argentina and Chile, it is recorded that Ecuador is the country where the largest number of hummingbird species is found.
They live in areas with temperate and tropical climates, it has been discovered that some live in deserts, coasts, forests, grasslands and mountains. When they have their babies they seek warm areas, but they can survive in cold temperatures; hummingbirds make migration trips to achieve this goal.
Hummingbirds can make their home in vines, bushes, and trees, they are protective of their home and nearby food sources.
Hummingbirds are animals that are generally found alone, they are aggressive to protect food and defend themselves or fight with others of their species using their beak as a weapon.
More information about the hummingbird