The Important Role of Birds in Pollination

Pollination, whereby pollen grains (male) are transferred to the ovule (female) of a plant, is an irreplaceable step in the reproduction of seed plants. Most plant fruits are unable to develop without pollination taking place and many beautiful flower varieties would die out if not pollinated. Bees and insects are the most common pollinators, but bats and birds are known to do their share in this vital activity. The agent moving the pollen, whether it is moths, bees, bats, wind or birds, is called the “pollinator” and the plant providing the pollen is called the “pollenizer”.

Read more

How Do Hummingbirds Hover?

Hummingbirds are a bird species well known for their amazing aerobatic skills. You may see a hummingbird hovering at a flower having a drink of nectar. Its wings are a misty blur either side of it. In an instant, it might dart forward, sideways, backwards or even upside down, wings beating furiously at 50 to 80, or even more, beats per second. The number of beats per second varies according to the size and species of the bird. It has been reported that a hummingbird can travel at speeds of 30 to 60 miles per hour (50 to 100 km/h) and then abruptly stop and hover in one position. How do they accomplish these amazing aerobatic feats?

Read more

Sleepy Hummingbirds

Hummingbirds have incredibly busy days. Their heart is beating 1000 times a minute. This gets even mo repaid after the hummingbird starts flapping its wings 10-80 beats a second! In addition to buys days, hummingbirds need to keep their body temperature as high as 104 degrees Fahrenheit (or 40 degrees Celsius).

Read more

Tips for keeping your humming birds happy

It’s easy to attract wild hummingbirds to your yard – use red feeders filled with sugar-water. The feeders are available at most gardening and bird seed stores.

What you may not know, however, is that your sugar-water could actually hurt your birds! Follow these two basic guidelines, to ensure the health of your colorful feathered friends:

• Refresh the sugar-water every 2-4 days- Sugar water can ferment quickly. The hummingbirds will continue to drink it, but the fermented mixture enlarges their livers, causing health problems. Do your iridescent friends a favor, and keep changing the feeder’s water, especially in hot weather. Wash the feeder while you’re at it: use only hot water and a scrub-brush, no soaps.
• Only use sugar! Avoid red food coloring – it may not be good for the birds. The red colors on the feeder itself should be enough to attract them. Use a simple mixture of four parts water to one part table sugar. Avoid any other sweeteners like honey, which will ferment more quickly.

Don’t have the time to keep cleaning that bird feeder? Consider hanging some flower baskets by your windows instead – fuchsias and petunias are a few hummingbird favorites.