By Guest Author Celeste Silling, Gulf Coast Bird Observatory Education and Outreach Director, and Margo Johnson
The fall Ruby-throated Hummingbird migration has already begun, and at the Gulf Coast Bird Observatory (GCBO) we’ve been seeing them zipping all around the property from one flower to another. The Ruby-throated Hummingbird migration is truly impressive. These tiny birds start their fall migration in August and continue through October. They breed as far north as central Canada, but the majority spend the winter in Mexico and Central America. They fly as far as 1,000 miles twice a year between their wintering and breeding grounds.
Hummingbirds can fly forward, backward, upside-down and hover, making them some of the most acrobatic fliers in the bird kingdom. Some hummingbirds can flap their wings 200 times per second, giving them the record for most wing beats per minute of any bird. This fast propulsion comes in handy during their impressive migration.
Some hummingbirds will follow our coast around the Gulf down to Mexico, but others will take the shorter route straight across the water! The long flight across the Gulf has to be done all at once since there are no convenient trees for birds to rest on in the ocean. They have been known to land on ships out in the water, but they can’t rely on finding the right ship in the right place. To meet the energy demands of this long journey, Ruby-throats can double their body weight with fat in a matter of days by bulking up on nectar from flowers and feeders and from eating insects.
Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are not only charming and cute, they also have some of the most unique features in the bird kingdom. For such a small animal, they are actually quite smart! Ruby-throats have a great memory, and can remember the location of different food sources and how to get there. A hummingbird’s brain is about 4.2% of their body weight, giving these birds the largest brain-to-body proportion of any bird.
One lesser-known feature is the hummingbird’s heart. It can make up 2.5% of the total body weight. For comparison, the human heart is less than 1% of our total body weight. Their hearts are fast too; they beat at about 1,260 beats per minute when the birds are in flight. For comparison, the resting heart rate of human is about 60-100 beats per minute.
If you are interested in enjoying the hummingbird migration and seeing these birds up close, come join us at our Xtreme Hummingbird Xtravaganza on September 12th and 19th at the Gulf Coast Bird Observatory headquarters in Lake Jackson! Fortunately for us, Lake Jackson is in the middle of their migration flight path and GCBO is flooded with hummingbirds every September. You can watch hummingbird banding and even symbolically adopt a Ruby-throated Hummingbird of your own! There will also be activities for the kids, nature booths with live animals, a plant sale, and much more to enjoy. You can learn more at this link XHX.
Members of the Texas Master Naturalist Coastal Prairie Chapter are invited to volunteer to help with this event. For more information about volunteering for the Hummingbird Xtravaganza look for the calendar listing on the Chapter calendar. We hope to see you there!