Ruby Throated Hummingbirds

music

Quick – can you think of a bird that can fly backwards? I’m Jim Metzner, and this is the Pulse of the Planet.

ambience: Ruby-throated hummingbird’s wings

Appearance-wise, they’re a little on the frenetic side, and they’re name comes from the sound that we’re hearing right now: the beating of their wings. Hummingbirds. They can beat up to 200 times per second, giving them the unique ability of flying backwards, and of hovering in place.

A male hummingbird’s wings beat the fastest when he’s courting a female, and that’s what many of them are doing this week, across the eastern half of the United States.

Ruby-throated hummingbirds – the species we’re listening to now, travel almost 2000 miles north from the tropics; that’s quite a trip for a bird that’s only about four inches long. By now most of the males have established their territory, and all they need is a female, or several females, to mate with. Once that’s done, it’s the female’s job to build the nest, which is a cup around one inch across, and to tend the eggs. She lays about two, which will eventually hatch into birds that are smaller than your fingernail.

The ruby-throated hummingbird get its name from, not surprisingly, the blood-red feathers in the male’s throats. These delicate birds appealed so much to turn-of-the-century aristocrats, that they often had them stuffed and used as a mantelpiece decoration. Thankfully, that practice has ended, and the ruby throated hummingbird can still be prized at this time of year by backyard birdwatchers.

I’m Jim Metzner, and this is the Pulse of the Planet.

Ruby Throated Hummingbirds

Meet the bird with the fastest wings in the world.

Air Date:04/28/2022

Scientist:

Transcript:

Ruby Throated Hummingbirds music Quick - can you think of a bird that can fly backwards? I'm Jim Metzner, and this is the Pulse of the Planet. ambience: Ruby-throated hummingbird's wings Appearance-wise, they're a little on the frenetic side, and they're name comes from the sound that we're hearing right now: the beating of their wings. Hummingbirds. They can beat up to 200 times per second, giving them the unique ability of flying backwards, and of hovering in place. A male hummingbird's wings beat the fastest when he's courting a female, and that's what many of them are doing this week, across the eastern half of the United States. Ruby-throated hummingbirds - the species we're listening to now, travel almost 2000 miles north from the tropics; that's quite a trip for a bird that's only about four inches long. By now most of the males have established their territory, and all they need is a female, or several females, to mate with. Once that's done, it's the female's job to build the nest, which is a cup around one inch across, and to tend the eggs. She lays about two, which will eventually hatch into birds that are smaller than your fingernail. The ruby-throated hummingbird get its name from, not surprisingly, the blood-red feathers in the male's throats. These delicate birds appealed so much to turn-of-the-century aristocrats, that they often had them stuffed and used as a mantelpiece decoration. Thankfully, that practice has ended, and the ruby throated hummingbird can still be prized at this time of year by backyard birdwatchers. I'm Jim Metzner, and this is the Pulse of the Planet.