Hummingbirds

Challenges for Hummingbirds

Successful hummingbirds need to breathe,
eat and find stable nesting habitat.

Challenges

Hummingbirds face many challenges. These threats typically affect breathing, food supply, or other habitat resources such as nesting sites.

Humans can also pose a serious challenges to hummingbirds. Some species, such as Anna's Hummingbirds, are closely, and positively, associated with human development.

Unfortunately, our migratory species that come into the closest contact with dense human development, are negatively affected. These species (Rufous and Allen’s Hummingbirds) are having the most difficulty facing current challenges and their populations are declining rapidly.

Super-Powers vs Costs

Faithful to location

Migratory hummingbirds need to be successful in the many different habitat types found along the migratory route. To achieve this, they have a super-power....MEMORY! Hummingbirds remember the locations of resources throughout their route.

Energetic cost

Disruption to the continuity of resources or their ability to use them, causes a large energetic cost. Imagine the fuel you would waste by driving around to find a new coffee shop, when you could go directly to the one you know. Then multiply that cost by however much of the route was disrupted.