Hummingbirds, in general,
are solitary and neither live nor migrate in flocks; and there is no
pair bond for hummingbirds. The male's only involvement in the reproductive
process is the actual mating with the female.
has been observed to be a female's job, with males often being polygamous
(mating with several females). The males do not participate in choosing the nest
location, building the nest or raising the chicks.
are usually built in trees or shrubs. However, several tropical species attach
their nests to the undersides of leaves. The nest size varies depending on the
species - from smaller than half of a walnut shell up to 8 inches (20 cm) in
The female will camouflage her nest by attaching mosses and
lichens from the tree they are nesting in to make the nest virtually
Eggs: Typically, two pea-sized plain white
eggs are deposited in the nest cushioned with spider’s webs, butterfly cocoon’s
and mosses. The nest is designed to expand as the babies grow larger through the
use of spider silk in weaving.
Even if two eggs are laid on different
days, the young will hatch together in 14 - 23 days - depending on hummingbird
species, ambient (environmental) temperature, and female attentiveness to the
nest. The smaller hummingbird species have shorter incubation periods than
During the night,
hummingbirds generally become "torpid" - which basically means that their bodies
go into a state of torpor (temporary or
semi-hibernation) to conserve energy. However, when incubating eggs, female
hummingbirds do not enter torpidity because they need body heat to keep the eggs
The chicks hatch either featherless or only with
very sparse feather down and have darkish skin. At this stage, they are blind
and completely helpless. Their mother alone protects them and she must almost
constantly help them stay warm until about nine days later when they are covered
with tiny feathers. Then the chicks are left alone even on cooler nights -
probably due to the fact that the small nest can't accommodate the growing
chicks and the mother at the same time.
The babies keep the nests clean instinctively by doing
"their business" over the edge. The female feeds the young about every 20
minutes half-digested insects combined with nectar to supply them with the
protein, amino acids and other nutrients necessary for growth and development.
When feeding the young, she inserts her long, slim bill into the open mouth of a
nestling and regurgitating the food into its crop.
The hummingbird female
will bravely defend her nest and her chicks from predators - even going as far
as attacking large birds of prey, such as hawks, and humans.
The chicks leave the nest (fledge)
when they are about 20 days old. The mother continues to help them in their
first few weeks after they leave the nest, directing them to choice hunting
locations for bugs and for gathering nectar. Some hummingbird mothers will also
help orphaned hummingbird chicks.
Hummingbird females usually only nest
once, but occasionally twice per year - if conditions are favorable (plenty of
food for her chicks and a safe nest site).
Species Research by Sibylle
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