ichthyologist: Hummingbird Metabolism While in flight,…
Hummingbird Metabolism
While in flight, hummingbirds have the highest metabolisms of all vertebrates, in order to support their rapid beating of their wings (up to 80 times per second!). Their heart rate can reach 1260 beats per minute.
At night, the bird reduces its metabolism, slowing their heartbeats to 50-180 beats per minute to reduce their need for food.
To provide themselves with energy, hummingbirds consume more their own weight in nectar every day. They select flower species which have more sugar in their nectar.
As the bird burns through its food so fast, they are constantly hours away from starving to death, storing just enough energy to last through the night. They must continually eat to survive.
Danny Perez Photography on Flickr
Also, because I can’t resist compulsively identifying, I’m pretty sure that’s a male Allen’s Hummingbird (Selasphorus sasin).
Reposted from http://lies.tumblr.com/post/50503758791.
