An amazing creature, the smallest bird in nature, and one of the most beautiful. As they just do not call it: and an emerald neck, and a flying amethyst, and fire topaz. And it's all about hummingbirds.
All about hummingbirds
It may sound strange, but hummingbirds are surprisingly unpretentious. These cute, tiny, sophisticated creatures do not create much hassle when it comes to feeding. Indeed, in addition to flower nectar, about which a lot has already been written, they eat all kinds of insects in huge quantities.
Incredibly, the hummingbird's wings allow it not only to hover in the air, but also fly backward, move in any direction. The bird flaps its relatively short wings with an incredible frequency, up to 50-70 flaps per second! It is no less striking that during migrations, hummingbirds are able to travel up to 850 kilometers without landing.
When kept in captivity, hummingbirds are quickly tamed and observe people and their actions with undisguised interest. Hummingbirds feed almost continuously and therefore food must be available at all times.
Honey with water is good as temporary food, but it is not suitable for permanent food. Ideal for feeding hummingbirds is a nutritional formula consisting of boiled milk, water, sugar, broth, and a few drops of syrup.
In order for a hummingbird sitting in a cage to have constant access to midges, it is necessary that they fly to it. Peach pits or banana peels are ideal for this.
The midges will definitely come and please the bird in all respects.
The birth of chicks
Hummingbirds, despite their size, are normal birds, and like their larger relatives, they lay eggs. They incubate them and hatch chicks.
The only difference from larger birds is that it is necessary to feed the baby chick continuously. Parents feed their babies every 15–20 minutes. If something extraordinary happens, then even a forty-minute break is enough to put the chick on the brink of life and death.
The metabolism in hummingbirds is so high that food must be present not only regularly, but also in sufficient quantities. Oddly enough, but at this pace of life and nutrition, hummingbirds sleep at night. Moreover, it is quite difficult to wake them up.
Hummingbirds, like other birds, love to bask in the sun. But when keeping a bird in a cage, it is important that some part of it is in the shade. Hummingbirds need to periodically shelter there from the sun's rays. The same goes for hummingbird chicks. Unfortunately, the number of these cute tiny birds is constantly decreasing, and the reason for this is the use of pesticides.
