OT: Wednesday Bird Quiz #2
)But anyway............as one who works in the engineering field this bird absolutely astounds me because of its design capabilities. It is indeed a very unique bird, with very unique capabilities in the world of birds.
Any guesses on the name of this bird???
BIRD PIMP'EN AIN'T EASY!!!
BIRD PIMP'EN AIN'T EASY!!!
CONGRATULATIONS MAHOGANY DREAMS...
This is indeed the Ruby-throated Hummingbird!!!
Hummingbirds are some of the world's most beautiful birds...in my opinion. I'm sure the Spaniards who first laid eyes on them thought so too...because when these early explorers saw them they called them "Joyas Voladoras" or "Flying Jewels". A very fitting name!!!
As one interested in the mechanical and engineering concepts of things...the mechanical engineering feats of this bird are almost unbelievable. Even with their beauty...this is actually what fascinates me most about this bird. Let's look at just a few of the feats and numbers of the hummingbird.
· They're able to fly forward, backward, sideways, up, down, and stop and hover in one spot. (And for short distances they can even fly upside-down.)
· They can fly up to 60 miles per hour.
· It beats its wings 60-80 times per second, in normal, everyday flight...but can beat them 200 times per second during courtship dives.
· At rest their heart beats around 250 times per minute, but during flight their heart beats about 1300 times per minute. (And, strange enough, 50 times per minute at night. What a great energy saving feature!)
· They migrate for thousands of miles...but the most fascinating thing about their migration is that many make a huge jump across the
· It eats its weight in nectar and/or sugar water every day. (Which makes sense in light of its huge energy expenditure.)
· When in its active state a hummingbird will starve to death if it doesn't eat within just a couple of hours.
· Hummingbirds are the world’s smallest birds.
· Hummingbird eggs are so small that a penny could cover 3 of them completely.
· Hummingbirds only live here in the western hemisphere.
· OK...I'll stop...I could easily continue on, but you get the point. Hummingbirds are "very" interesting indeed.
BIRD PIMP'EN AIN'T EASY!!!
