Mexico is a country that has a very special geographical structure, made up mostly of mountain ranges, plateaus and numerous valleys that provide the perfect conditions for a great biodiversity to inhabit its lands. Hummingbirds are part of this biodiversity, their presence is so important that they represented a symbol for pre-Hispanic cultures. In other words, hummingbirds have ecological, historical and cultural importance. And it is that in Mexico you can see about 57 species of hummingbirds throughout its territory.
Hummingbird species in Mexico
Pre-Hispanic cultures saw in the hummingbird not only a bird with iridescent plumage and peculiar flight, but it represented for them a mythological being who led the Aztecs to Aztlán. But the Aztecs were not the only ones who set their eyes on the hummingbird, the Mayans also saw a special being in it. According to your culture, the xts’unu’um (hummingbird) represented a bridge between gods and men. In charge of communicating the wishes of the gods to the earthly inhabitants of the Mayan culture. In other words, for Mexico, hummingbirds and their various species are not just another animal, but are part of the very heart of their culture.
The hummingbird is a family of birds whose scientific name is Trochilinae and what has about 350 species in totalwhich are distributed in the American continent where it is endemic. In Mexico there are around 57 species of hummingbirds that inhabit from the Caribbean Sea, to the highest of the mountain ranges. It is even possible to see them in the middle of the city, where they struggle to survive due to the lack of food.
The following infographic from the National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity shows the 57 cataloged species of hummingbirds in Mexico and their distribution throughout the Mexican territory.
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hummingbird morphology
The hummingbird is a small bird, in fact, it is one of the smallest birds in the world, measuring only between 10 and 13 centimeters. It is expected that its weight is only a few grams, between 4 and 6 grams in total. They are characterized by their iridescent plumage that gives them an extremely captivating appearance, since they change color according to the angle of the sun’s rays.
They are very small birds whose main feature is its beak and tongue, which have a long and thin shape. They use this peculiar characteristic to feed on the nectar of the flowers, they fly over in front of them to later insert their beak and extract the nectar deep inside some plant species. They also supplement their diet with small insects and spiders.
But perhaps the most amazing feature of these small birds is that their flight is unlike any other. Are able to flap between 50 and 80 times per secondwhich allows them to stay in a static flight, just like helicopters do. To the human eye it would seem that the bird remains suspended in the air at a fixed point and is even capable of flying in reverse. In fact, its way of moving is more similar to that of an insect than that of a bird.
When you watch a hummingbird fly, it is impossible not to pay attention to it, which is why it formed an important part of the worldview of both the Mexica and the Maya. Without a doubt, hummingbirds are living lightning bolts that captivate anyone who dares to discover their beauty with their flight.
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