kids corner the hummingbird - …this presentation aims to teach you about the hummingbird. this...
TRANSCRIPT
Thispresentationaimstoteachyouaboutthehummingbird.
Thispresentationhasthefollowingstructure:
Slide1- WhatisaHummingbird?
Slide2- Habitat
Slide3- Adaptation
Slide4- LifeCycle:MatingandNesting
Slide5- LifeCycle:Egg-LayingandRaisingYoung
Slide6 - PollinationandTorpor
Slide7- Aerodynamics
Slide8 - DietandBehaviour
Slide9 - Threats
Slide10- CaseStudy– TheBeeHummingbird
Slide11- HummingbirdFacts
Slide12- AustralianCurriculumMapping
THE HUMMINGBIRD
KIDS CORNER
THE HUMMINGBIRD
KIDS CORNER
WhatisaHummingbird?
Hummingbirdsarethesmallestbird,averagingonly7.5-13cminlength.
Atjust5cmlong,thebeehummingbirdisthesmallestofthe
hummingbirds.
Hummingbirds’wingscanflapatspeedsofuptoanincredible80beats
persecond,whichallowsthemtohoverinmid-air.Thisrapidwing
movementcausesahummingsound,whichishowthehummingbirdgot
itsname.
Thehummingbird’smetabolismisthehighestofanyanimalthatmaintains
astablebodytemperatureregardlessofthetemperatureofthe
surroundingair.Suchanimalsarecalled“homeothermic.”Ananimalwith
ahighmetabolismrequiresalotofcalories.That’swhyhibernation
(torpor,inhummingbirds)iscriticaltotheirconservationofenergyand
theirverysurvival.
THE HUMMINGBIRD
KIDS CORNER
Habitat
HummingbirdsliveonlyintheWesternhemisphere.Between325and340
differentspeciesofhummingbirdcanbefoundthroughouttheAmericas
andtheCaribbean.Theyaremostcommonintropicalregions,butsome
hummingbirdsliveinNorthAmericaduringthesummerandmigrateto
thetropicsforthewinter.
Hummingbirdsresideinavarietyofecosystemsincludingwoodlands,
mountains,meadows,rainforestsanddeserts.Whateverthehabitat,a
readilyavailableabundanceofflowersiscritical.
Inadditiontoflowers,hummingbirdsrequireshelterfornestingand
resting.Thisshelterprovidesaprotectedplaceforhummingbirdstogo
intoastateofwhatisknownas“torpor”orhibernation.
THE HUMMINGBIRD
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Adaptation
Hummingbirdsareuniquelyadaptedtothriveinavarietyofclimates.They
canliveinbothtropicalandtemperateenvironments.Theiranatomyhas
alsocontributedtotheirsurvival.
BeakandTongue:Thebeakofthehummingbirdislongandnarrow,
helpingthemreachintoflowerstoobtainnectar.Theyalsooccasionally
feedoninsects,usingtheirflexiblelowerbeaktograbinsectsinflight.
Brain:Hummingbirdshaveanexceptionalmemorythatenablesthemto
recallthelocationsoffoodsources.Theirbrainaccountsforasmuchas
fourpercentoftheirbodyweight.
Eyes:Hummingbirdshavelargeeyeslocatedonthesidesofthehead.They
areabletoseeinfrontofthemandtothesidesatthesametime.They
canalsoseecolours.
BodyTemperature:Hummingbirdsareuniqueamongbirdsinthattheyare
abletoreducetheirmetabolismandenterastateoftorpor(hibernation).
Thisallowsthemtosurviveincoldweatherwithlimitedcaloricintake.
THE HUMMINGBIRD
KIDS CORNER
LifeCycle:MatingandNesting
Hummingbirdsthatliveinthenorthernlatitudesmigratetothesouth
duringthewinterandbeginreturningnorthtobreedinlateMarch.The
malesreturnbeforethefemales.Uponthearrivalofthefemales,themale
birdsattractthemwithanincredibledisplayofflight,climbingashighas
15metersandthendivingbackdowninvariouspatterns,Thechirpingof
themalesandthehummingoftheirwingsattractthefemales,which
choosetheirownmates.
Thefemalehummingbirdbuildsacup-shapednestwithtreebranchesand
shrubs.Shegathersspidersilktosecurethenestandthenhidesthenest
withmossandplants.Mostnestsareaboutthesizeofagolfball.
THE HUMMINGBIRD
KIDS CORNER
LifeCycle:Egg-LayingandRaisingYoung
Egg-Laying:Thefemalehummingbirdlaysthesmallesteggsofanybird;
usually,twowhiteeggsperfemalelaidondifferentdays.Occasionally,a
femalehummingbirdlaysonlyoneegg.Thefemalesitsontheeggsfor
approximately19days.Sheleaveshernestforjustfiveminuteseveryhour
duringthistime.Thoughtheeggsarelaidondifferentdays,theywillhatch
onthesameday.
RaisingYoung:Themotherhummingbirdfeedsheryoungbygathering
nectarandinsectsandinsertingherbillintothebillofeachbaby,placing
thefoodinthechick’sthroat.Ateightdaysold,thebabyhummingbird
beginstoproduceitsfirstfeathers.Theybegintoflyataroundthree
weeks,andthemotherwillshowthemwheretofindfoodbeforethey
leavethenest,nevertoreturn.
THE HUMMINGBIRD
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PollinationandTorpor
Pollination:Plantsneedanimalstotransferpollenfromflowertoflower.
Thehummingbirdplaysavitalroleinthisprocess.Flowersattract
pollinatorsbyofferingnectarandanarrayofcolours andfragrances.The
nectarofflowersthathummingbirdspollinatehasahighamountof
sucrose(sugar).
Torpor:Toconserveenergyandincreasetheirchancesofsurvival,
hummingbirdsgointoastateoftorpor(ashorthibernationperiod).
Duringthisperiod,theirmetabolismlowers,theirbodytemperature
drops,andtheirheartratedecreases.Thissavesuptosixtypercentof
theirenergy.Thefemalehummingbirdwillstaywiththeirnestduring
hibernation.Hummingbirdssometimeshibernatehangingupsidedown.
Theymayappeartobedeadduringhibernation,astheymaynoteven
respondtotouchduringthistime.
THE HUMMINGBIRD
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Aerodynamics
Themotionofthehummingbirdhasalwaysamazedpeople.Theirunique
wingdesignallowsthemtomoveforward,backward,andevenupside
down.Theirwingsbeatinafigure-eightpatternratherthanupanddown.
Hummingbirdsproduceliftinbothupwardanddownwardwingstrokes,
creatingvorticesthathelpwithhoveringandmaneuverability.Expertssay
thisshouldmakethemawkwardandinefficientinflight.However,they
movegracefullyandwithincrediblespeed.Researcherscontinuetostudy
themysteriousaerodynamicsofthehummingbird.
WingsandMuscles:Hummingbirdsaretheonlybirdthatcanflyboth
forwardandbackwardsandquicklychangedirection.
THE HUMMINGBIRD
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DietandBehaviour
Hummingbirdshavebeencalledthe“sugaraddicts”ofthebirdfamily.
Theyeathalfoftheirbodyweightinsugareachday.Whiletheyconsume
anincredibleamountofnectarfromflowers,theyhavealsobeenknown
toeatinsects.Becauseoftheirhighmetabolism,thehummingbirdmust
consumeasignificantamountoffoodtosurvive.Theyeathalfoftheir
bodyweightinsugareachday.Theyusuallyeateverytenminutes.
Thehummingbirdhasahugebraininrelationtothesizeofitsbody.With
anincrediblememory,hummingbirdscanrememberfoodsourcesfrom
thepreviousday,andtheyuselandmarkstoguidethem.Hummingbirds
willsometimesdefendtheirfoodsourcesfromotherbirds.
Hummingbirdslivesolitarylivesotherthanforbreeding.Theyare
territorialbirds,andthemalehummingbirdcanbeveryaggressivein
defendingitsturf.Thefemaleschaseawaythemalestokeeptheirbright
colours fromattractingpredators.Hummingbirdsarealsoverycleanbirds.
Theygroomthemselvesfrequentlyandlovetosplashinwater.
Hummingbirdnestsareamazinglycleanbecausebabyhummingbirds
instinctivelydowhatevertheycantotosstheirownwasteovertheside.
THE HUMMINGBIRD
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Threats
Everyhummingbirdspeciesnowlistedasendangeredorvulnerableis
threatenedduetohabitatloss.Climatechangeandshiftingweather
patternsareagrowingthreattothehummingbird’smigrationpattern.
Domesticcatslovetochasehummingbirdsbecauseoftheirquick,darting
moves.Somespeciesofbirdsandrodentsfindhummingbirdeggsvery
appetising.Hawksandotherraptorslikehummingbirdsasamid-airsnack
togo.Low-flyinghummingbirdscanbesnatchedupbyfish,frogs,snakes,
lizards,orevenlargeinsectslikedragonfliesandprayingmantises.
Hummingbirdsmayalsobestunnedorkilledbyflyingintohumanmade
objectslikebuildingsorcars.Malesareattractedtoreflectivesurfaceslike
windowsandcarmirrorsbecausetheythinktheirownreflectionis
anothermaleinvadingtheirterritory.Crashingfull-speedintoawindowor
mirrorcanbefatalforahummingbird.
Hummingbirdshavebenefitedfromthemanypeoplewhofindthem
fascinating.Thehummingbirdfeederisapopularfeatureofmanygardens
andyards.Somepeoplegrowflowersspecificallytoattracthummingbirds
sothattheycanwatchtheirmid-airacrobatics.
THE HUMMINGBIRD
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CaseStudy– TheBeeHummingbird
TheBeeHummingbirdistheworld’ssmallestlivingbird.Itisnativetothe
mainislandofCuba.Femalesareslightlylargerthanmales.Females
average2.6 ginweightand6.1 cminlength.Malesweigh,onaverage,
1.95 gand5.5 cm.Theyarenotmuchbiggerthanalargebumblebee.
Abeehummingbird’snestisonlyabout2.5cmindiameter,andthefemale
laystwoeggsthatareapproximatelythesizeofpeasorcoffeebeans.
Thebeehummingbird’sdailyfoodconsumptionequalsabouthalfofits
bodymass.Itdrinksuptoeighttimesitsbodymassinwatereveryday.
Themalehummingbirdgrowsspectaculariridescentbreedingplumage
guaranteedtoattractfemalesbutshedsitshortlyafterthebreeding
seasonends.Outsideofbreedingseason,itsfeathersarecomparatively
drab.
Whilethebeehummingbird’swingscanbeatatapproximately80times
persecondinflight,duringacourtshipdisplaythatratecanincreaseto
about200beatspersecond.
THE HUMMINGBIRD
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HummingbirdFacts
• Hummingbirdscanremembereveryflowertheyhavefedfromand
howlongitwilltaketheflowertorefillwithnectar;
• Hummingbirdscanhearbetterandseefartherthanhumans;
• Hummingbirdscanseeultravioletlight;
• Hummingbirdshavelittletonosenseofsmell;
• Thetinyhairsonthetipofahummingbird’stonguehelpthebirdlapup
nectar;
• Ahummingbird'sheartbeatsupto1,260timesperminuteinflightand
approximately250timesperminuteatrest;
• Ahummingbird'smetabolismisapproximately100timesfasterthanan
elephant’s;
• Hummingbirds’weakfeetmakeitveryhardforthemtowalk;
• Anaverage-sizedhummingbirdhasapproximately940feathers;
• Hummingbirdshaveanaveragelife-spanofthreetofiveyears,but
manydon’tsurvivetheirfirstyear.Theoldestknownhummingbird
livedtotheageof12;
• Migratinghummingbirdswilltravelover3,200km,twiceayear.
THE HUMMINGBIRD
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AustralianCurriculumMapping
GRADE5SCIENCE(ACSSU043):Livingthingshavestructuralfeaturesand
adaptationsthathelpthemtosurviveintheirenvironment.
GRADE6SCIENCE(ACSSU094):Thegrowthandsurvivaloflivingthingsare
affectedbythephysicalconditionsoftheirenvironment.
YEAR7SCIENCE(ACSSU112):Interactionsbetweenorganisms,including
theeffectsofhumanactivitiescanberepresentedbyfoodchainsandfood
webs.
YEAR9SCIENCE(ACSSU176):Ecosystemsconsistofcommunitiesof
interdependentorganismsandabioticcomponentsof
the environment; matter andenergyflowthroughthesesystems.
YEAR10SCIENCE(ACHGK070):Human-inducedenvironmentalchanges
thatchallengesustainability.
SUSTAINABILITY(01.2):Alllifeforms,includinghumanlife,areconnected
throughecosystemsonwhichtheydependfortheirwellbeingand
survival.
THE HUMMINGBIRD
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