Crash Course: Hummingbirds in Costa Rica

By: Laurel Payzant

http://www.naturescapes.net/workshops/costa_rica_2012

READY…SET…GO!

• Scientific Name: Selasphorus scintilla• Status in the Wild: Common• Habitat: Cloud Forests & Rainforests• Diet: Herbivore (“Costa Rica”)

http://www.divebuddy.com/photo/45796/costa-rica-rainforest-hummingbird/

THEIR NAME

• Named for the distinctive sound made by their beating wings• Vibrantly colored and energetic• “…their remarkable size, fearless nature and shimmering

colors have made these flying jewels a favorite among birders and wildlife lovers” (“Costa Rica”)• Over 338 known species, around 50 live or breed in Costa

Rica’s cloud forests or tropical lowlands• What makes them so unique?• Their ability to hover for long periods of time & ability to fly

backwards (“Costa Rica”)

CONTINUED…

• Wings beat up to 100 beats per minute• So fast that the naked eye cannot detect them• Generate power on both the forward and backward wing

strokes (Baker)

• WATCH THIS: http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/hummingbirds

FOOD

• Hummingbirds eat at least half their body weight in food everyday• Need to support their high energy lifestyles• Body temperature drops at night & they go into a state of

torpor to help conserve energy• Highest metabolic rate of any bird• Heart rate can exceed 1,200 beats a minute (“Costa Rica”)• Highest metabolic rate per unit of body weight in the avian

world (Baker)

RELATIONSHIP TO FLOWERS

• Co-evolved with flowers and plants

• Developed long slender bills and even longer tongues to feed on nectar

• Flowers bloom and fade, so hummingbirds live solitary lives

• Need to aggressively defend nectar sources from rival hummers, bees, and butterflies

• Also eat insects to supplement fat and protein in their diet (“Costa Rica”)

HABITAT

• Variety of temperate and tropical habitats in Costa Rica

• Lowland areas: hummers nest during dry season months of December through April

• Highlands: nest towards the end of the year when temperatures are colder and epiphytic flowers are blooming (“Costa Rica”)

REPRODUCTION• Only mingle with the opposite sex for a short time during mating

• Nests are constructed out of moss, twigs, plant fibers, fern leaves, and sometimes cobwebs

• Two small eggs, which are incubated by the female for 14-19 days

• Chicks are fed nectar and regurgitated insects

• Remain in the nest for a month (“Costa Rica”)

• Not lifetime maters because of competitive and solitary behavior

• Typically females search for males

• Males attract females by creating vocal and wing sounds & show off their feathers (“26 Species…”)

STATUS IN THE WILD

• Abundant

• No danger of extinction

• Exception: the mangrove hummingbird, whose habitat along the Pacific Coast is threatened by local development and increased population (“Costa Rica”)

• New adults must learn on their own (flying, searching for food, avoiding predators, bathing, and grooming)

• Predators: hawks, orioles, roadrunners, crows, jays, and other large birds

• Also, mice and cats

• 19th century: humans killing for use of ornaments and feathers on hats (“26 Species…”)

HUMMINGBIRD HOTSPOTS IN COSTA RICA

• Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve

• Santa Elena Reserve

• Selvatura Park in Monteverde

• San Gerardo de Dota

• Los Quetzales National Park

• La Selva Biological Station in Sarapiqui

• Poas Volcano National Park

• La Paz Waterfall Gardens (“Costa Rica”)

VIOLET SABREWING• Habitat: found in montane forest, ravines, areas around streams, and

wooded areas

• National Parks: Cara National Park, Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve

• Physical Description: One of the largest hummingbirds in the world, surpassed by the Giant Hummingbird

• Wide, long tail with bright white corner feathers, wide wing feathers, and a long, curved bill

• Rarely protective or defensive of flowers; not very aggressive in relation to size

• Height/ weight: 15 cm long, male: 11.5 g Female: 9.5 g (“Birds of Costa Rica”)

FUN FACTS• Hummingbirds are the smallest birds in the world

• For their size, hummingbirds have the largest heart & brain of all animals

• Hummingbirds have no sense of smell

• Hummingbird wings beat around 60 times per second

• Hummingbird hearts beat from 500 to 1,200 times per minute

• Hummingbirds are only found in North, Central and South America

• Hummingbirds visit 2,000 to 5,000 flowers a day

• Hummingbirds can consume twice their weight daily

• Their color is produced by refraction of light, not by pigment

• Their average speed is 45 miles per hour

• Their tongues are twice the length of their bills

• In addition to nectar, hummingbirds eat insects for protein

• Hummingbirds cannot walk, only perch

• Hummingbirds fly only 20% of the time (“26 Species…”)

Size Range

http://www.divebuddy.com/photo/45796/costa-rica-rainforest-hummingbird/ http://www.birdquest-tours.com/birding-tours/costa-rica/2010

http://www.wildbirdsonline.com/articles_hummingbirdnesting.html

http://www.2zoo.com/vb/showthread.php?t=315840

http://neotropical.birds.cornell.edu/portal/species/overview?p_p_spp=25862

Mating Violet Sebrewing

http://www.billholsten.com/apps/photos/photo?photoid=121310495

References

"26 Species of Hummingbirds at La Paz Waterfall Gardens, Costa Rica." 26 Species of

Hummingbirds at La Paz Waterfall Gardens, Costa Rica. Web. 11

Feb. 2015. <http://www.waterfallgardens.com/hummingbirds.php>.

Baker, Christopher. "Birds." CR Handbook. Web. 11 Feb. 2015.

<http://philop.greenspun.com/cr/moon/birds>.

"Birds of Costa Rica." Anywhere Costa Rica. Web. 11 Feb. 2015.

<http://www.anywherecostarica.com/flora-fauna/bird>.

"Costa Rica." - Hummingbirds. Web. 12 Feb. 2015.

<http://costarica.com/wildlife/hummingbirds/>.