Kristiina Hurme

Kristiina Hurme

May 15, 2017

Group 6 Copy 215
1

Training: who can outsmart who?

Hello dear backers! Thanks to your generous help, we collected the data last year, but took a break after the birth of our daughter! We have now been watching the videos and starting the huge task of analyzing the amount of nectar they drink per lick.

Training and filming wild birds is both challenging and rewarding. Here is a clip (real speed) of an impressive male Sparkling Violetear (see the daggers on his bill tip) drinking from a training syringe. He's doing very well with the fake flower as a guide, but decides to take matters into his own "wings" when he can no longer reach the nectar! I think on this visit, he definitely outsmarted us! 


 


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About This Project

Flying at incredible speeds, often upside down and backwards, hummingbirds truly have superpowers! These aerial acrobatics help them defend flowers and avoid attacks! We want to uncover the dark side of the tiniest birds by examining their adaptations for fighting. In many hummingbird species, males have teeth-like spines and daggers on their bill tips and can inflict serious damage! However, based on our studies, these weapons should make it harder for males to drink nectar. How do they do it?

Blast off!

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