TulsaPets Magazine September 2022

38 TulsaPets • September / October 2022 Pet Portraits by Hilary Hilary Clark Text 918.230.8652 hclark0886@outlook.com A DEL I GHTFUL HOL I DAY G I FT! caused by a nasty feeder. Trust me on this one. My new charge was more than ready for refreshment when we arrived. I filled a syringe with sugar-water to slide over his beak. A long, thin tongue whipped forward and back until he was done. Hummers drink through two compressed tubes in their tongues that open from con- tact with moisture and literally grab nectar. The beak squeezes the nectar out once the tongue is retracted and the mouth closes. It’s all dependent on surface tension, an automatic response much like a piston. And it happens 18 times a second. Whew! And do they ever love red flowers! One question I always had was, “Why red?” I’m so glad I asked. Explanation and Evolution Red is definitely a favorite of these guys; researchers have a great explanation. It all goes back millions of years … after the species crossed the land bridge and headed south to settle in the Andes of South Amer- ica. On their way, the little hunters would pursue insects that were feeding on nectar or hiding inside blooms. The problem insects have, though, is that they are cold-blooded. Mountainsides get chilly, especially at night, and bugs don’t move so well until midday heats them up — if that happens at all. That is not helpful to plants because they need their pollinators. Along comes the prehummingbird — warm-blooded, insect chasing, and evolu- tion bound. The plants and birds change together, a mutually beneficial bonding. First, on the lower levels, hummingbirds compete with insects for nectar, except for red flowers. Bees are red-green color blind. They don’t see red as red. Hummers-to-be do. They dip their beaks for nectar. They need lots. The plant blooms become deeper to hold more nectar. The beaks get longer. The tiny insects that hummers hunt swarm. Hummers counter. The lower beak evolves until the animal can bend it back and out of the way, clearing the way to shove through a swarm and simply swallow without snapping the beak shut. The plants begin to spread up the moun- tainside. Thinner air takes energy. Hummer bodies improve. They get smaller and light- er; their legs get shorter. They cannot walk on their legs like normal birds, and they perch when resting. To easily move from flower to flower in any direction needed, wing patterns mimic insects. And hummers are fearless. Tiny but Mighty Hummingbirds have few enemies. Cats, plate-glass windows, and each other rank pretty high as threats (aside from unclean feeders). The males are fierce territorial defenders and lousy dads (rare for birds). I figured my little guy had slammed into something, so I set him up with a suspend- ed syringe full of hummer food and a thin twig for perching. One would think that because of size, hummingbirds aren’t too bright, but that’s not true. They are quite intelligent, especial- ly for their size. My new charge had already figured out I was a good guy; he casually checked out his surroundings and took an- other drink. Most adult birds freak out and beat themselves up against cages at first, but he was chill — a typical hummer response, which is helpful for a shoulder injury. So we would wait. It can take weeks to months for a shoulder to recover, if it ever does. In the meantime, I would need a hummer sitter if I ever left town. The bird’s food would need changing, and his environment would need monitoring. I thought again of the bald eagle, her size, how she fits into our world. Then I looked at this little sparkling fellow — and hoped. It’s the little things in life…. This pop-bottle cap holds a humming- bird egg. For perspective, a humming- bird nest is the size of a walnut.

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