hummingbird

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Closer Look at Bird Feeders Shows 'Evolution in Action'

Study links feeder use to migration north, beak shape and size changes in Anna's hummingbirds

(Newser) - A new study finds that human-provided hummingbird feeders aren't just helping hummingbirds survive—they're changing the physical traits of the birds themselves. Researchers focused on a species called Anna's hummingbirds, also finding that the feeders have helped the birds expand northward, from California to British Columbia,...

Found in China: Dino With a 'Rainbow Glimmer'
Found in China: Dino
With a 'Rainbow Glimmer'
NEW STUDY
Jan 15, 2018 9:01 AM CST

Found in China: Dino With a 'Rainbow Glimmer'

Jurassic Period's 'Caihong juji' had shimmering feathers like those found on hummingbirds

(Newser) - Scientists are now saying there may have been "a more colorful Jurassic World than we previously imagined," thanks to the recent discovery of a fossil in China's Hebei province. Reuters reports that a closer look at the "exquisitely preserved," almost completely intact fossil of a...

Bees, Butterflies May Go Way of the Dinosaur

United Nations report says world crops are at risk

(Newser) - Don't care much about birds and bees going extinct? OK, but you may have to forgo popular foods (like blueberries, apples, and coffee) that depend on creatures that pollinate plants, the Christian Science Monitor reports. According to a UN scientific report approved by 124 nations, the coming extinction of...

Study Overturns Long-Held Belief on Hummingbirds

They don't drink the way researchers have thought for 200 years

(Newser) - Hummingbirds beat their wings approximately 50 times per second, but that's nothing compared to how fast they can drink. A study out of the University of Connecticut debunks nearly 200 years of scientific thinking on how hummingbirds accomplish that task, with results showing the tiny birds can sip up...

Male Hummingbirds Stab Each Other in the Throat for the Ladies

Scientists say males use their long, sharp beaks as weapons in mating ritual

(Newser) - Bigger is better if you're a male hummingbird. Scientists have discovered that males grow longer, sharper beaks than females as they age—which they then use to stab each other in the throat during an elaborate mating ritual, according to research carried out by University of Connecticut scientists. The...

Hummingbird Lovers Strap Feeders to Their Faces

Masks allow birders to get up close and personal

(Newser) - Hey, birders, sick of stomping around hoping to catch a glimpse of a hummingbird in your binoculars? Then heartsick.com has just the thing for you. For the low, low price of $79.95, you get a colorful thingy that looks like a welding mask and doubles as a hummingbird...

Lovey-Dovey Hummers Faster Than Jet Fighters

Courtship dive involves G-forces that would make stunt pilots swoon

(Newser) - The courtship dive of an American species of hummingbird involves speeds that—relative to its size—outpace even fighter jets at full throttle, the Independent reports. Researchers discovered that the male Anna's hummingbird moves 383 times its body length each second as it swoops, creating G-forces strong enough to make...

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