Hummingbirds

Breathing

Why do Hummingbirds need a lot of oxygen?

Hovering is the most oxygen-requiring, energy-intensive form of flight, and they make long migrations. Rufous Hummingbirds travel further than any other bird, relative to body size.

What is oxygen for? Mitochondria.

These organelles convert food and oxygen into energy and carbon dioxide. Because hovering requires a massive amount of fuel and oxygen to sustain, a hummingbird's flight muscles are full of mitochondria. A third of the weight of the flight muscle is made up of mitochondria and they are 2x more efficient than mammalian version!

What causes breathing problems? Smoke.

Particulate from smoke makes it difficult for a hummingbird to breathe. This means they have a hard time finding food or flying away. Adult birds can sometimes escape the smoke, but nestlings cannot.