Journey North: Hummingbird Updates

S. Maslowski - USFWS

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Ruby-throated Hummingbird Migration Update: March 20, 1997

Faster than a speeding robin.....It's a bird, it's not plain, it's a ruby-throated hummingbird! Today is the first day of spring, and hummingbird migration is underway. With your help we'll track one species of hummingbird, the ruby-throated, as it hums its way across eastern North America this spring. Special thanks to hummingbird friend and aficionado Lanny Chambers who has generously offered to contribute ruby-throat sightings from his WWW site, "Hummingbirds!". Be sure to visit! You'll find migration maps plotting this year's migration and last year's too.

How to REPORT:
When you see your first ruby-throated hummer this year, be sure to let us know! On the left-hand side of this page you'll see a blue owl button. Simply press the button and a FIELD DATA FORM will appear. If you have any trouble using this system, sen d a message to our feedback form We'd be happy to help you!

When watching for hummingbirds, don't look further than North & South America. There are no hummers in Europe, Asia or Africa or Australia. They're unique to the Americas. There are an estimated 338 species in total, and most live in the tropics. We have only 16 species in the U.S. and Canada, and the ruby-throat is the only hummingbird found in the eastern U.S. states and Canadian provinces. One species, the rufous hummingbird, travels all the way to Alaska. Here's another hummingbird humdinger: The An na's hummingbird, a species found along the West Coast, nests in January. This is the earliest nesting of any bird on the entire continent, with great-horned owls nesting second.

USFWS

Perhaps hummingbirds' tiny size is what makes interest in them so large. The ruby-throat's nest is not much bigger than a ping-pong ball, its eggs are the size of jelly beans, and it weighs only 1/10th of an ounce. It's hard to imagine how light they act ually are!

Challenge Question # 1:
"Besides a ruby-throated hummingbird, what other things weigh 1/10th of an ounce?"

To respond to this Challenge Question please follow the instructions at the end of this report. We'll post a list of all the things students name. Let's see how many we can find!

Carol Gersmehl, Macalester College

Ruby-throated hummingbirds spend the winter in north-central Mexico, through Central America, and as far south as central Costa Rica. The trip back-- taking place at this very moment-- is among the most incredible in the bird world. Imagine hummingbirds g athering at the tip of Mexico's Yucatan peninsula and waiting there until their instincts say the wind and weather are right. Whey they take off they must cross the open ocean--unable to stop, drink, eat or rest until they reach the other side. For as man y as 500 miles they travel through what are the riskiest hours of their lives.(Depending on their destination, some individuals probably travel up the coast. See map.) A hummingbird in flight beats its wing 75 times per second when flying forward. It has been estimated that the trip across the Gulf of Mexico requires 4 million wing beats!

Challenge Question # 2:
"Approximately how many hours does the typical trip across the Gulf of Mexico take, if a hummingbird beats its wings 4 million times at a rate of 75 wing-beats per second?

To respond to this Challenge Question please follow the instructions at the end of this report.

Will You Help?
Hummingbirds are hard to capture with a camera. If you'd like to help illustrate these pages, please contact us and we'll provide instructions. We'd appreciate your help! Send E-mail to: jnorth@learner.org

Try This!
Here are some way you can use the migration data below:

Count the number of states where hummingbirds have been sighted. Make a list and watch it grow over the next few weeks.
What can you say about the temperatures in those states where hummers were spotted in late February? In March? What are the daily high, low and average temperatures in these states now?
Notice the dates hummingbirds were reported at each location. What patterns do you see? Based on these sightings, can you identify a wave of migrants moving in a certain direction? Which hummingbirds do you think might have crossed the Gulf of Mexic o? In which regions might they have over-wintered? Check winter temperature records from the southern sites. Do you think hummingbirds could endure those temperatures?

Ruby-throated Hummingbird Sightings
As of March 20, 1997

Credits:
This hummingbird migration data is drawn from Lanny Chamber's WWW site, "Hummingbirds!" and the National Birding Hotline Cooperative

Date      Nearest City, State
02/22/97  Bay City, TX 
02/27/97  Mobile, AL 
02/28/97  Brownsville, TX
02/28/97  Gulf Shores, AL 
03/01/97  Opelousas, LA 
3/03/97   Tallahassee, FL
03/04/97  Port O' Connor, TX 
03/04/97  Victoria, TX 
03/04/97  Ocala, FL
03/05/97  Tuscaloosa, AL 
03/06/97  Baton Rouge, LA 
03/06/97  Sarasota, FL
03/07/97  West Baton Rouge, LA 
03/07/97  Tampa, FL 
03/08/97  Laurel, MS
03/08/97  Gainesville, FL 
03/09/97  Galveston, TX 
03/09/97  Houston, TX
03/09/97  Tallahassee, FL 
3/11/97   Miami, FL 
03/12/97  Port Arthur, TX
03/12/97  Bogalusa, LA 
03/13/97  Groves, TX 
03/13/97  San Antonio, TX
03/13/97  Birmingham, AL 
03/14/97  Montgomery, AL 
03/14/97  Tifton, GA
03/14/97  Thibodaux, LA 
03/14/97  Picayune,MS 
03/14/97  Perry, FL 
03/15/97  Beaumont,TX 
03/18/97  Jacksonville, FL

How to Respond to Today's Challenge Questions:
Please do not answer both questions in one message!

How to Respond to Journey North Hummingbird Challenge Question # 1

Address an e-mail message to: jn-challenge-hummingbird@learner.org
In the Subject Line of your message write: Challenge Question # 1
In the body of the message, give your answer to this question:

Challenge Question # 1:
"Besides a ruby-throated hummingbird, what other things weigh 1/10th of an ounce?"

How to Respond to Journey North Hummingbird Challenge Question # 2

Address an e-mail message to: jn-challenge-hummingbird@learner.org
In the Subject Line of your message write: Challenge Question # 2
In the body of the message, give your answer to this question:

Challenge Question # 2:
"Approximately how many hours does the typical trip across the Gulf of Mexico take, if a hummingbird beats its wings 4 million times at a rate of 75 wing-beats per second?

Don't Forget!
Please include the name of your school and your location so we can credit you properly for your answers.

The Next Hummingbird Migration Update Will be Posted on March 27, 1997.