The Calliope Hummingbird, scientifically named “Selasphorus Calliope” is an amazing bird known to be the smallest in North America. From the Greek muse Calliope, Calliopé is this small bird that caused the wonder facing its migration capabilities, aerial acrobatics, and endurance strength. This article will explore more details about the Calliope Hummingbird. So, keep reading it!
Physical Characteristics
The Calliope Hummingbird is a little bird that weighs about 3 to 3. 5 inches in size and is as light as two ounces or 5 to 3 grams. However, it is relatively small and consists of bright and intense colors.
Males are very colorful with their magenta coloration on the throat, which is called a gorget, and the bird can fan them out to show off or intimidate rivals. The rest of their body is green in color on its back, and the crown has white underparts. Females are also less colorful but rather stunning with their green upperparts and whitish throat, which can have some streaks on them.
Habitat and Distribution
The Calliope Hummingbird’s breeding habitats include mountain meadow regions of the western United States and some areas of southwestern Canada. The species is known to favor places like alpine meadows, forest edges, and shrublands. Males of these hummingbirds breed mostly at high altitudes, with temperatures favoring the consolation of the birds ranging from 1200 to 3350 meters above sea level, especially in summer.
After the breeding season, these birds migrate in what can be described as one of the longest migratory paths. They fly south in the winter and winter, mainly in Mexico and sometimes in Central America. Wild Calliope Hummingbirds can fly for thousands of miles during nesting, proving that those little beings are extremely hardy and can fly long distances without getting more than a little tired.
Behavior and Diet
Like most other hummers, the Calliope is a precariously gifted flier famous for its outer-loop trajectory. A natural flapping frequency paraphrase of about one cycle per second was recorded, enabling move back and forth, hover and stall, fly backward, and pivot at any one time. This agility is essential for the feeding habits as they mainly feed on nectar from different flowers. The Calliope Hummingbird has a long and thin bill, which helps them to probe deep into flowers and lap up the nectar with the help of their brush-like tongues.
Apart from nectar, they feed their young with small insects and spiders, which are a rich source of protein. This is particularly true during the summer months when the female Calliope is busy with the young ones.
Breeding and Nesting
We can describe the breeding behavior of the Calliope Hummingbird as peculiar. The males also engage in the acrobatics of flying while making buzzing noises with the wings, making L-shaped flight patterns to attract the female. Once the female is charmed, she selects a suitable nesting site, which is a well-concealed place on a tree and commonly near a water source.
The nest is very small and cup-shaped, built of plant material, spider web, and lichen; it is practically invisible. A female lays two small white eggs, and then she alone incubates them for about 15 to 16 days. In most cases, when they hatch, they are cared for by the mother until they get to the flying stage, which is about 21 days.
Conservation Status
At the moment, the Calliope Hummingbird populations are stable and, therefore, are categorized by the IUCN Red LIST as “Least Concern.” As is often the case with birds, they are threatened by factors such as loss of nesting grounds, climate change, and pesticide use, which limit the supply of insects, their favorite food.
Conclusion
The Calliope Hummingbird lives up to its real name. This bird has flamboyantly colored feathers, fantastic migration, and flight. It seems incredible how such a small creature can survive and even reproduce while living in such adverse conditions; this is a perfect example of a natural phenomenon in the wildlife world. Learning more about these incredible birds makes one much more appreciative of the delicate complexities of our biosphere and all the animals therein.
