In Costa Rica, we have more than 53 species of hummingbirds, which are distributed throughout the country mainly in the middle and highlands.
Hummingbirds are like gusts of wind that flutter around you, taking you back to fairy tales and magic.
Hummingbirds in Costa Rica are fast, bright, charming, and just as amazing as they are anywhere in the Americas.
All Costa Ricans are used to hummingbirds, they are showy throughout the country, every day of the year. Both in the sunny and rainy seasons. You will probably see more variety in the mountains.
But hummingbirds are flying around the mangroves and beaches, in the spas of La Fortuna.
Let’s talk a little about hummingbirds.
They Are only found in the American continent and are organized in the Trochilidae family (the same order of swallows)
They are the smallest birds on the planet, most species are 7, 5 to 13 cm long.
Its name in English comes from the buzz generated by its flapping wings. In many other languages, including Spanish. French, Italian, Portuguese, and also German, Dutch, and even Russian are called hummingbirds, believed to come from a Caribbean Aboriginal word.
their flapping speed in the air is 70 to 80 per second which allows them to speeds that exceed 15m / s (34mph-km / h)
They have the highest metabolism of all warm-blooded animals. To conserve strength when the food supply is limited and when they are not looking for food, they enter a state comparable to hibernation, reducing the metabolic rate to 1/15 of its natural rate.
Hummingbirds are organized into nine central groups.
Brilliant.
- Coquette.
- Patagonian.
- Mountain gems.
- Bees
- Topazes.
- Hermits.
- Mangoes
- Emerald.
According to its relationship with the extraction of nectar from flowering plants and its distribution in new territories.
As all hummingbirds depend on flowers for their rapid flights, evolutionary changes in plants and flower shapes also support the evolution of new hummingbird species, creating a unique cycle in particular regions of the world.
The breeding of hummingbirds.
This is a unique ritual worth the time and patience to observe.
Hummingbirds grow fully when they are only a few months old and usually have marked territories for breeding that they like to go to every year.
The country’s hummingbirds are produced in the sunny season, from November to March.
Normally what may attract their attention would be the courtship diving flight that the males do to attract the attention of the females. The courtship is elegant and intense.
The male would rise to 60 feet in the air and then he will fall with his nose first at an impressive speed, then it will curve and come out again and again.
Their eggs are the smallest in the world and their nests are difficult to see since they are very well camouflaged.
Hummingbirds feeding.
Hummingbirds often feed on plants designed for them, plants like heliconias, birds of paradise, or vines like angel’s trumpets are friendly food sources for these little birds.
They should eat about 3 times a day.
These little birds are very smart, a hummingbird has the largest brain in the bird world.
All hummingbirds live in beautiful places full of bright colors. Wherever hummingbirds are you will find amazing bright flowers and myriad butterflies.
