Day 16: Serpent Tongue
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Jun 22, 2009 | by Adrian Binns
The Ruby-throated Hummingbird chicks (above) are now big enough that I can see all the upper portion of them, their bodies protruding out the ends of the nest. There are records of hummers fledging as young as 15-16 days, but I can not imagine them surviving. The white throat is filling in nicely and the head is now overall grayish with green-gold speckling.
The white tips to the outer tail feathers (above) that all our North American Hummingbirds have, with the exception of the Amazilia genus (Violet-crowned, Berylline and Buff-bellied), are visible. The dark primaries now look like wings!
Note the angle at which the female now has to feed young chicks (above). Being larger she now has a harder time putting her bill vertically in. In this photo you can see that the angle and length of the bill angle has made the throat protrude.
The Ruby-throated Hummingbirds scientific name is Archilochus colubris. Forget the genus name for the moment as how it got that! Colubris on the other hand comes from the Latin colubra meaning serpent. There is even some debate about this, but I think it comes from the flicking of the tongue (see above left chick) that both a serpent and hummingbird do. Colibri is the Spanish word for hummingbird.
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I wonder how they move around in that tiny nest. Still havn't been able to find one. Guess I need a spotting scope.
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As they grow they expand the nest. It is not a perfect fit but someone they manage to make it work. Both birds will be sitting across the nest now and some of their body will be outside the nest.
You will require a great deal of luck to find a nest. The best way is to be follow a female hummingbird and see if it goes to its nest. Most nest are usually in the lower 40 feet of a tree. Many that are found are lower than that which makes them easier to see and find.