Page 24 - World of Animals - Issue #31

Ruby-throated hummingbird

Inside the ruby-throated

hummingbird Greenish brown feathers

This little bird is able to fly like no other bird in the world,

thanks to a specially evolved skeleton. Beneath their brightly
coloured feathers is a body adapted to survival

Flexible shoulders
Flexible shoulders allow the
hummingbird to move its wings

in a figure of eight pattern. This
is what enables them to hover
and feed at plants.

Bones
In order for the bird to use the least

amount of energy during flight, its
bones must be lightweight. The
hummingbird’s bones are extremely
porous, and some are hollow.

Intestine

Tail feathers

Pectoral muscles
The breast muscles make
up 25 per cent of the bird’s
weight. By comparison, a
human’s pectoral muscles

only account for five per cent.

Small feet
Hummingbirds are able to perch
on feeders or branches but they
only do this rarely, preferring to
stay airborne instead. Their feet
are small for this reason.

INFANCY JUVENILE

Egg laid Incubating Hatching 0 days Sharing heat 5 days Growing feathers 14 days Leaving the nest 22 days
Eggs are laid in small nests The female will incubate and Once the chicks have hatched, they The mother spends By now the tiny birds have The young hummingbirds
constructed on downward care for her eggs for 10-14 are still completely dependent two weeks using her grown their feathers and are are ready to leave the nest

tree limbs. Their preferred days. The female takes sole upon their mother. She will feed body heat to keep the able to regulate their own and make their first flight
trees are oak, birch, or poplar. parental care for the young. them and keep them warm. featherless chicks alive. body temperature. alone at just 22 days old.
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