rufous hummingbird
DESCRIPTION
Rufous Hummingbird. Classification. Kingdom: Animalia. Phylum: Chordata (fish, amphibian, reptiles, birds and mammals). Class : Aves (birds). Order: Apodiformes (swifts & hummingbirds). Family: Trochilidae (hummingbirds). Genus: Selasphorus. Species: Selasphorus Rufus - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Rufous Hummingbird
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata(fish, amphibian, reptiles, birds and mammals)
Class: Aves(birds)
Order: Apodiformes(swifts & hummingbirds)
Family: Trochilidae(hummingbirds)
Genus: SelasphorusSpecies: Selasphorus Rufus (Rufous hummingbird)
Classification
Length: 2.8-3.5 in.Weight: 0.1-0.2 oz.
Wingspan: 4.3 in.
Both Male & Female:
Physical Characteristics
Female: • Greenish gold crown and back• white breast• throat has iridescent red spot• red tail with black patches and
white tips
Male: • green back • red rump and tail• white belly and
breast • throat has green spot
with red spot in center
• United States• Canada• Mexico; • Turks and Caicos Islands;
Distribution
HabitatOpen Woodlands Shrubby areas and meadows
2009
• Although population is decreasing • Not enough to be Vulnerable • Due to extremely large population:
6,500,000
Conservation status
Reproduction• Males attract females with courtship flights
• Mating Season: April-June
• Males mate with several females
• Start mating the spring after they are born
• 2-3 eggs
Parental care
• First flight from being born: 20-30 days• Babies stay with mother for about a year
• Nests are made by just the female
• The babies are looked after by the female only
Young male fledglings resemble females
Longevity and mortality
• Lifespan: Average 3-4 years • Oldest recorded: 8 years 11 months
• In the captivity the Rufous lives about 3 times longer than in the wild
Seasonal patterns
The Rufous hummingbird migrates• Travel 4,000 miles from breeding grounds
• Alaska/North Canada to Mexico
Diet• Feeds on nectar from tubular flowers
Examples: Columbine, Indian paint brush, lilies and fireweeds
It also eats gnats, flies, aphids, and spiders for protein.
Consumes up to 3X its body weight per day
Burn up huge amounts of calories—the equivalent to humans:
1,300 hamburgers a daywashed down with
60 liters of water
Human Relationships
• People enjoy feeding/ holding• Feeders beneficial for their long
migration trips
Humans are seldom a direct threat; but their windows can be deadly.
In class of its own, the feisty Rufous hummingbird
• Hovers like a helicopter
A female rufous hummingbird hovers above water droplets from a backyard fountain.
Can come to a dead from 25 miles per hour, in a space no longer than
an index finger.
• More stamina than a top, marathon athlete
• About 3,900-mile (one-way) from Alaska to Mexico
• Would give competitive eaters a run for their money!
Burton, Robert. The World of the Hummingbird. Buffalo: Firefly books, 2001. Print.Howell, Steve N. G. Hummingbirds of North America. Princeton: Princeton UP, 2003. Print."The Hummingbird: God’s Tiny Miracle." Answers in Genesis. Answers in Genesis, 2012. Web. 25 Mar. 2013. <http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/cm/v14/n1/hummingbird>."Hummingbird - Mighty Puffball." Bird Note. Bird Note, n.d. Web. 22 Mar. 2013."Hummingbird Quotes." Bird Quote. Bird Quote, 2013. Web. 18 Mar. 2013. <http://birdquote.com/quote/hummingbird/hummingbird-quotes/>.Johnson, Craig and Joy. Pacific Northwest Birds and Habitat. N.p.: Orange spot Publishing, 2011. Print.
Work cited