Episode: 8

Summary

The remarkable behavioral and anatomical features of hummingbirds are what make them so endearing to us. The way they fly, their colors, and their penchant for flowers have all made hummingbirds rock stars of the avian world.

In this episode, we focus entirely on the hummingbird family, Trochilidae. 

I’ll first give you an overview of hummingbird evolution. Then, we’ll discuss their present-day diversity and distribution.

Then we dive into an assortment of fun topics about hummingbirds, including flight, metabolism, and breeding.

At the end of the episode, I talk about feeding hummingbirds-- how to do it right and some of the interesting consequences.

Links to Some Things Mentioned in this Episode

• Slow-motion video of a hummingbird catching insects in flight (i.e. hawking)

Research Citations

• Fossil hummingbirds found in Germany (Mayr. 2004. Science)
• Hummingbird diversification in South America (McGuire et al. 2014. Current Biology)
• Sweetness receptors and genes in hummingbirds (Baldwin et al. 2014. Science)

Link to this episode on the Science of Birds website

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