 |
The
common hummingbird is one of the Western Hemnisphere's greatest
treasures. Indigenous only to the America's , the hummingbird has
the unique ability to hover in midair by beating their wings at an
extraordinary rate of approximately 15-80 beats per second. Their
phenomenal wing speed allows the minute birds to fly backwards., a
characteristic specific only to them. The rapid wing beat
creates a n identifiable "humming" noise, hence their given name. |
| For further information regarding
the characterisitic os hummingbirds, see: The Common Hummingbird |
 |
The female hummingbird
(image at left) has a much less
impressive display of colours in her wings. The male, however, (image
below left) has a brilliant display of metallic feathers so as to
attract the attentioin of the female to gain a mate. When the
male hummingbird spots a female potential mate, he will begin an
intricate flight pattern to impress her. He begins by flying in a
pendulum motion while the female is perched at the very lowest point of
the pendulum motion, (see image below). For more information on
the mating behaviours of hummingbirds, see: Humminbird
Mating Behaviours. |
 |
 Last updated: 03/20/2008 by Webmaster |