The Bizarre Anatomy of Hummingbirds

[@RNG-999]

About 5 years ago, I baby hummingbird fell from it's nest and onto the ground next to me. Considering I couldnt climb a 40 ft tree to its nest, I raised the hummingbird for 2 weeks. I kept it in a cage and fed it every 15 minutes for 2 weeks. Along the way teaching it to fly and find flowers. Have you ever tought a hummingbird to fly? truely a beautiful experience. The hummingbird was released after 3 weeks of me finding it. I let it go and didnt see it for 3 months. Til, it decided to fly towards me, hover, and land on my head again like it did 3 months prior. It still comes to see ne every few weeks. (Except winter.) Just a happy story of mine. :)

[@Ezullof]

... You fed it every 15 minutes for 2 weeks? That's unbelievable.

[@skellymom]

You and this story are very, very awesome!

[@alpacabro2464]

That just made my life.

[@rogerwilco2]

Very nice story.

[@DanThePropMan]

Exactly how does a human teach a hummingbird how to fly?

[@Yahriel]

if you moved that fast, you'd have to eat pure sugar too! I saw a hummingbird chasing off a CROW a few weeks ago. Turns out the hummingbird was feeding an almost-full-grown baby in a nearby tree, and wouldn't let the crow within a large radius of it (even though the crow was minding its own business).

[@captain0vell]

SkyWolfAlpha crows don't mind their own business lol

[@edgytoucan3444]

@@captain0vell only if they’re feeling like little bastards (80% of the time)

[@iamthebock]

What? No mention of how they hibernation EVERY NIGHT?!? That's practically the only thing I learned in animal physiology! ;)

[@davidf2244]

Torpor, not hibernation. The difference is that torpor is involuntary. Bears can sleep normally and then when they're ready, go into hibernation. Hummingbirds don't sleep without going into torpor.

[@britney901]

Good grammar.

[@leukocyteofdoom]

_"No description of fairy-like perfection is too saccharine for the hummingbird. They live in a world of blossoms, sweet nectar, and the untainted freshness of everlasting spring."_

[@rickreed123]

I am glad the birds I feed know who is feeding them. Now I don't feel like their bitch so much.

[@Nabend1402]

Put a picture of yourself next to the feeder. Maybe the birds will start following you around :-D

[@Ezullof]

***** ... and trying to eat you :-D

[@Nabend1402]

I don't understand. Are female dogs well known to feed birds in America?

[@lt32p1]

No, but they tend to listen to their masters or superiors pretty well. I guess you see the connection.

[@TheMrhycannon]

Hummingbirds are the most marvelous of birds.. They greet me when they return each spring.. There are a few individuals I can recognize..They can get very persnickety.. If I let the feeder run dry they fly at me to let me know.. Sometimes they come into the house to visit.. Other times they hover outside my windows to watch me.. They even tease my cats by buzzing them, like little dive bombers..

[@swsephy]

Hummingbirds are fascinating to watch. My mom used to have a hummingbird feeder and I liked to watch them hover.

[@Steam1901]

Suggestion for a QQ or a full episode: Saturn's Hexagon (if you like the suggestion please upvote it!)

[@Se7enAte]

Once we had a humming bird nest in our water fountain in our backyard and when my dad went to fill it up, the humming bird kept kamikaze-ing him to get him away

[@willowhuang3265]

KAMIKAZEEEEEEEEE

[@planescaped]

I had one whizz my ear while standing in our backyard one day. Also had a hawk fly through our awning like 3 feet from hitting me. Birds are super aggro drivers.

[@megalopolis2015]

Territorial little buggers.

[@turgidbanana]

Yeah birds be like that sometimes.

[@TheEshy]

Hummingbirds be skipping leg day

[@cj-seejay-cj-seejay]

One time when I was a kid, a hummingbird flew inside my house and started panicking trying to get back outside through a closed window. The poor thing knocked itself out, so I carefully scooped it up and brought it outside. Then I mixed up some sugar water and put a drop of it on my fingertip and held it up to the hummingbird's beak. Its tiny tongue licked my finger!!! It was so cool! And then it suddenly got enough strength to fly away.

[@leukocyteofdoom]

Seriously though, the hummingbird cabinet (this huge case containing what must have been a hundred specimen, or thereabout) was one of my _favoritest_ things I got to see in the Natural History Museum in London. Or, as Kaylee would put it: Oooh, _SHINY!_

[@kareemsoussan522]

Hummingbirds are like fairies

[@moneygrammarko8550]

hummingbirds are fairies

[@michaelpesavento8268]

Hey Hank,good vid. Humming birds are indeed cool. The anatomy of their tongues is also fascinating. When they dip their tongues in to nectar tiny little flaps open on the sides of their tongues trapping the nectar for transport to their mouths. They do this with an almost invisible quickness. Their feathers are also impressive, the structure causing a metallic sheen in some species. Thanks.

[@bellasage518]

I live in Georgia (not at all a highlighted area) and we are crawling with hummingbirds...

[@ItoeKobayashi]

The secret to human flight is constant soda consumption.

[@gethinjones5845]

This was so interesting. Thanks Hank and all the Scishow team!

[@necessaryevil455]

I always put out a feeder. The hummingbird get use to us and our three cats and will hover inches away even to the cats but, they just watch and leave the birds be.

[@Fa1c0]

All birds (that can fly) use a figure 8 motion when they flap their wings. It's just more extreme with hummingbirds.

[@willowhuang3265]

Your profile picture only makes me further agree with you

[@bobzeeshrimp]

personally, i prefer the air

[@chocolatetampon4492]

Well this video just said you're wrong so...

[@twowheelunicycle8603]

This guy is the best host of all the people on this channel. Does the same great job of informing but makes it really entertaining with that slight humor he adds to it lol

[@docopoper]

Do hummingbirds sleep? What do they do about not being able to store energy well for that?

[@Vocalinds]

We have a lot of Anna's hummingbirds where I live. I love their little songs! The males will sit at the very top of the tallest tree or bush in the area and make this squeaky, crinkling-cellophane noise. For some reason, that sound is really really easy to locate, so that I can usually spot them even though they're so tiny! (Easiest in winter, of course, when there aren't leaves in the way.)

[@ikiro47]

What I learned today: If I chug a can of soda every minute I can fly! Thanks SciShow!! :D

[@BlueDoubleSharp]

Garrett No!

[@JanetStarChild]

@@BlueDoubleSharp Let them try. People like that are too stupid to live. Darwinism in action.

[@alexandershield9997]

I particularly like the use of Ernst Haeckel's Hummingbird painting. :)

[@8happyperson]

Tres interessant! I've always loved to see hummingbirds come by during the summer and it's cool to learn a bit more about their anatomy.

[@illdie314]

Hummingbirds are the best bird ...that i know of

[@hopeinparis]

Fascinating! Well done to combine the narrative with the diagrams. Thank you! Btw, the presenter talks so fast that for non-native English speakers, or anyone wishing to have more time to assimilate tons of facts, slowing the video to .75 will help and it doesn't make it weird :-)

[@thefinalstair]

Brief comment: I like how you're varying the wordings of the final requests every episode! It's a really nice change of pace.

[@Dr_Bille]

I think I just fell in love with this species of bird

[@watts300]

Holy crap, hummingbirds are awesome. Thanks Hank and your fellow SciShow crew for the delivery!

[@lizkasper]

The hummingbird is my favorite animal! They are incredible. Thanks, Hank!

[@DailyDaves]

So hummingbirds move their wings like humans move their arms/hands when treading water. Cool!

[@mlxoc712]

Hummingbirds are coo' =D

[@Epocseer]

Indeed, I concur that they are "coo'" :)

[@trundalassk8166]

Epocseer Agrres

[@ykjt91]

Pigeons are "coo" humming birds are more "buzz"y

[@trundalassk8166]

lol

[@moonstonepearl21]

Hummingbirds are so awesome as well as cute and beautiful ! :)

[@eldudereeno77]

I'm never disappointed here.

[@PinkChucky15]

Hummingbirds are so amazing, I haven't seen one in ages.

[@mossmannerdhiker4266]

Great topic. I love hummingbirds!

[@angelcollina]

SciShow Several years ago I found a hummingbird who had a broken wing. I took him in and kept him as a pet for about a week and a half before he died. He was actually very good at hopping, since he could not fly. I kept the feeder on the floor of his cage so he could reach it. I have another question, do hummingbirds need salt like most animals. I ask because when I found him, I had him cupped in my hands and he "licked" the inside of my hands. It was a very different sensation! I thought he might be licking the salt from my skin. I'm pretty sure my hands weren't sugary.

[@crosslash01]

I think it would be neat if you guys showed what other creatures would look like if they had the same proportions as hummingbirds. Massive pecs for the win!!

[@joncampbell1266]

love these short doses of science!

[@soundslave]

Their wings move exactly like fish fins. When a fish is "hovering" in place, it moves its side fins in the same way.

[@thepip3599]

Cool.

[@jakkob5488]

So, hummingbirds evolved directly either from fish, or some either strain of reptilia that retained fish anatomy? Am I science-ing correctly?

[@nikocchidesu]

Please do one vid for the fascinating anatomy of peacocks! Please!

[@jpfd-2315]

I have a lot of family in Brazil and the Portuguese word for hummingbird is so much cutter. It's 'Beija-flor' or flower kisser. Ain't that just the cutest thing ever!

[@Marmonery]

Can you do a video of insects/bugs with wings and how they fly?

[@omarrp14]

i just saw a humming bird for the first time yesterday, and im 17 and lived in america all my life in 7 states. and ive been to 8 countries!

[@josh_m]

I love hummingbirds!

[@dalma_makes]

SOOOOO CUTE! (Both the hummingbirds and Hank...)

[@cristinavargas2594]

Love all your guys videos!

[@TallTactical]

Since i have small legs i can beat about 15 times per second

[@TheTheRay]

No.

[@suplexgrandma]

Damn that's fast

[@duckgoesquack4514]

beat off blister?

[@gunnyoneshot69]

You yourself have obviously been in to the nectar as well, the 100 proof sugar nectar. Do you ever come up for air??!! Thank You very much for this video, and for your presentation. This has got to be the most informative and educational four minutes that i have ever heard pertaining to Hummingbirds. For all the information that you shared, an individual would have to pay $12.95 for a soft cover book on Amazon. The illustrations were just as informative!! I learned sooo very much in these past 4 minutes, and i am so very grateful!! Thanx Again!! Take care and GOD Bless!!!! SuperSniperSal The GUNNY USMC Disabled Vet

[@missyl4237]

I enjoyed this lesson. I didn't know just how little I knew about them...

[@IGlowIFlow]

Have always been fascinated by hummingbirds they're so outa this planet

[@clareholmes-urquhart5445]

They are darling little beautiful birds!

[@laruellef]

Great show! :-) I'm wondering how some humming birds are able to migrate up to 500 miles in one flight (eg Ruby-throated Hummingbirds), which would seem impossible when you state that they need to constantly sip nectar to survive...

[@praetorfenix5]

I love this channel so much

[@Borjigin.]

This is just amazing.

[@Snipereye64]

i never appreciated these guys so much until today

[@invisiblejaguar1]

Nature is amazing.

[@JessiicaxXOXx]

loved this video, really interesting facts :~)

[@DFLaval]

I would appreciate if you could do an episode on the anatomy of the common loon.

[@cottostyle6444]

Love your channel saludos from Puerto Rico

[@kathya4645]

I do believe the part about remembering where each flower or person with a feeder. I had a male and female that came back every year and went to each window in the house until I saw them as if to remind me to put out the feeder. They eventually turned into quite a little family hatching eggs every year. Obviously I had to increase my feeders to accommodate the children who came back every year as well.

[@xlanw4416]

So cute! They are my favourite birds!

[@novingale]

There are also Hummingbirds in Canada!

[@jamesstei1853]

Quality episode.

[@NomzNoodle]

QQ: Why do bugs flip onto their backs when they're dying?

[@Swimmer7596]

TIL Hummingbirds skip leg day and replace it with chest day :)

[@cellogirl0096]

That's so cool!

[@rasulbey8155]

I love Hummingbirds.there my favorite kinds of birds well next to the Phoenix

[@jacobendriss7007]

Lol i remember helping my mom water her plants with the hose and a humming bird Came and started taking a bath in the falling droplets like 5 feet in front of me. Chill birds in my book

[@allencarbajal4938]

200 flaps per second?!! that's just crazy!

[@peanutbutterjelly281]

Hummingbirds are SO cool! My sister told me that they have to go into torpor when they sleep or else they'd starve to death in their sleep due to their hyper metabolism!

[@Obamakka]

yes, hanks back :D

[@StelmachsWorld]

I love these guys

[@rmagictricks131]

About 5 years ago, I baby hummingbird fell from it's nest and onto the ground next to me. Considering I couldnt climb a 40 ft tree to its nest, I raised the hummingbird for 2 weeks. I kept it in a cage and fed it every 15 minutes for 2 weeks. Along the way teaching it to fly and find flowers. Have you ever tought a hummingbird to fly? truely a beautiful experience. The hummingbird was released after 3 weeks of me finding it. I let it go and didnt see it for 3 months. Til, it decided to fly towards me, hover, and land on my head again like it did 3 months prior. It still comes to see ne every few weeks. (Except winter.)

[@Charley_Goji]

R Magic Tricks nice copy/paste

[@1JackieLane]

Unless I'm way off on my geography (I have a hard time when there are no drawn limits), the data shown on the map at the beginning seems either old or wrong. We have hummingbirds north of Montreal, which would bring the orange area much further up on the east coast. I believe they have hummingbirds even a little further north, but can't say for sure as I haven't seen them. Just wanted to say. Nice video by the way. Those little ones are so impressive!

[@mozarteanchaos]

not only are they the smallest birds, but theyre also the smallest known dinosaurs! (although its possible that there have been smaller in the past; they probably wouldnt be preserved very well or at all, though, because of their extremely small size)

[@Aspenavius]

That is pretty amazing.

[@QueenofSilence101]

I've always wondered just how tiny hummingbird eggs and chicks are. I mean, the birds themselves are pretty darn small as is. So just think how tiny a newly hatched hummingbird would be.

[@SchizoSchematic]

Hank, have you and the SciShow team ever seen Rise of the Guardians? Their representation of the tooth fairy is largely based off of hummingbird anatomy, and I didn't realize just how in-depth the creative team at Dreamworks was with her design until I watched this video.

[@watts300]

Hank and Co., if it's interesting enough for a video, could you explain how/why soap works?

[@yanoryam]

You said southeast AK but I live in Fairbanks and I've seen 'em here! As long as there are big trees they will venture out to us haha.

[@mattmontgomery2800]

There is a calvin and hobbes comic strip in which Calvin sums up this video, pretending he is a hummingbird immediately before raiding the fridge for some pop.

[@panrez693]

please put English subtitle for all shows until these get more useful for whom are weak at listening.

[@iAMwReckLesss]

Awesome, as always.

[@tommyvictorbuch6960]

Hummingbirds and the fast swifts are closely related, so in a way we have hummingbirds here in Scandinavia as well ;-)

[@KaletheQuick]

"Probably terribly cute" Unsubstantiated. [Citation Needed] :3

[@lhsalmond]

2:46 So, it looks like Hummingbirds flap very similarly to how swimmers tread water. Maybe we can learn a thing or two about making treading water easier by observing hummingbirds.

[@hezechiahjones8365]

Hummingbirds don't swim, using them to learn how to swim would be like using a turtle to learn how to fly.

[@DeviousMalcontent2]

Hummingbirds are so cute! :3

[@emilydotbug]

I found a dead hummingbird once and got to feel and see how a hummingbird wing reticulates and its amazing very interesting

[@nawar079]

Thank you

[@badtime6532]

I never knew my favorite dinosaur was so fascinating!

[@ivan_eira99]

Supreme Leader Lazarus I see what you did here

[@badtime6532]

Ivan Lautaro oh ok

[@jazzy_macaron9502]

Interesting... i didn't know that! that's cool!!!

[@AirAfter]

awesome sauce.

[@vertigofrost1505]

We have them in Australia too!

[@RJFP67]

I watched a male do a arched dance for a female perched on a twig . He did precise arches over and over again in perfect form . It was amazing how accurate they can fly ?

[@panrez693]

could you please put subtitle for all the shows till these become more useful for all who are less familiar with English language.

[@serahiever]

I don't know much about hummingbirds, but how do they survive winter? I guess the tropical ones won't have such problems, but given the supermarkets here in CT are selling bird feeders, i assume the hummingbirds here will face the flowerless, cold, snowy winter

[@TheBassam1997]

AMAZING!!!

[@isabellerickards5919]

Another awesome video :D

[@donaldjamesderrick]

Love your show! But alas, your map is incorrect - hummingbirds most definitely extend their ranges into the North East as far as New Brunswick and Nova Scotia in Canada. I know because I have seen them many, many, *many* times in this area.