Naked Science Forum
Life Sciences => Plant Sciences, Zoology & Evolution => Topic started by: Outcast on 17/02/2020 15:30:05
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They "bulk up" prior to migration. Nonetheless, for a bird that normally must feed every 15-20 minutes, a 25 hour flight seems unlikely. Also, this is the only time that they are purported to fly at night.
What would drive a tiny bird to launch itself over the Gulf with no land in sight? They don't migrate in flocks, and for the birds just hatched in U.S., it's a first time solo experience.
(Please, no moderator responses.)
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It certainly is amazing, but yes, Ruby Throated Hummingbirds do fly across the Gulf of Mexico.
Just out of curiosity, why don't you want mods to respond?
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It certainly is amazing, but yes, Ruby Throated Hummingbirds do fly across the Gulf of Mexico.
I've seen the reports from oil rigs. Most seem anecdotal. I don't see reports of large swarms of them around the oil rigs, as are reported along Gulf coastline cities/towns during migration season. If the oil rigs are the only visible structures around, a concentration of birds would be my intuition.
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Did a little research, and well slap me stupid, the evidence IS anecdotal! I have heard this 'fact' all my life and there actually seems to be real question if this migration across the gulf happens at all.
Sounds like a great thesis for some aspiring PhD.
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The birds normally go into a state of torpor each night, when their body temperature and heartrate drop precipitously. They are unable to fly in this state. The birds are unable to sustain their normal high metabolism and temperature overnight. Some experts have claimed the birds would actually starve to death while roosting, were it not for this daily torpid state.
Everything about the birds' metabolism, feeding requirements, and the fact that they have never been reported to fly at night, all suggest a 25-hour non-stop migration flight is highly improbable.
That said, nature quite often achieves the improbable. I would be delighted to be wrong, and be amazed by the birds one more time.
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Hummingbirds during the migration process cover a path of about a thousand kilometers across the Gulf of Mexico from the Florida Peninsula to the Yucatan Peninsula in 20 hours. The flight takes place without stops, without breaks for lunch and sleep, regardless of the weather. Even hurricanes for hummingbirds are not a hindrance.
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Hummingbirds during the migration process cover a path of about a thousand kilometers across the Gulf of Mexico from the Florida Peninsula to the Yucatan Peninsula in 20 hours. The flight takes place without stops, without breaks for lunch and sleep, regardless of the weather. Even hurricanes for hummingbirds are not a hindrance.
I had always heard that too, but it appears to be anecdotal.
Do you have any supporting evidence that hummingbirds fly across the gulf?
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Just out of curiosity, why don't you want mods to respond?
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Even hurricanes for hummingbirds are not a hindrance.
Sounds particularly frivolous, since the maximum speed attained by a hummingbird in a dive is not equal to the windspeed of a minimum hurricane.
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Just out of curiosity, why don't you want mods to respond?