Hummingbird (Trochilidae): there are 1 families, 2 subfamilies, 104 genera and 355 breeds. Because the two wings flutter to flight with buzzing like bees, it is named Hummingbird. It is small, and body covered with scaly feathers as brightly colored, iridescent or metallic, and more vivid in males; The mouth is slender and straight; Some lower curved, and some individual upward bending; Tongue is capable of expansion and contraction; a sharp tail, forked or racket shaped; feet short and toes small and weak.
Shape and Features
When flying, the two wings fluttered quickly, forcefully and continuously, and the frequency could reach more than 50 times per second. The feather of hummingbird is usually blue or green, and the lower body is lighter. Most of the male birds are blue-green, and others are purple, red or yellow. The feathers of female Hummingbird are rather dim.
The smallest Phaethornis ruber and Mellisuga helenae weigh less than 2 grams, and the largest Patagona gigas weighs 19-21 grams. Meanwhile, most of the other hummingbirds are 2.5-6.5 grams in weight, and their body length is between 6-12 centimeters. The hummingbirds have kinds of beak shapes with every kind of different length and shape of the beak is usually a good indicator of the recognition of different edible flowers. Hummingbirds have stretchable branched tongues, which are easy to suck nectar. Hummingbirds are typically small-legged birds that cannot walk on the ground and change their positions on their perches by flying rather than walking.
Many bones and flight muscles of the hummingbirds have adapted to hovering and high-speed maneuvering flight. They are the only birds that can really hover and fly forward and backward.
Habitat
The hummingbirds can forage and nesting in various terrestrial habitats. The main habitat choice is nectar-producing flowers. Habitats that meet this requirement include arid shrubs, desert oases, coastal lowlands, tropical rain forests, pine forests in the New North Territories and alpine tundra. Hummingbird habitats vary greatly from the Andes, up to 4,876 meters, to the inland deserts below sea level. Hummingbirds sometimes appear in cities and suburbs with natural food sources because of the rise of aviculture and plantations.
More animals from New Zealand.