A Calliope Hummingbird flits among wild flowers in a garden spends time Sunday afternoon in White Rock. Weighing about as much as a ping pong ball, this tiny bird is named after Calliope, the muse of eloquence and epic poetry, who inspired Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey. Despite their size, these territorial birds may chase birds as large as Red-tailed Hawks during the breeding season. While hovering, Calliope Hummingbirds’ metabolic rates increase to more than 16 times resting level. The oldest recorded Calliope Hummingbird is a female, at least 8 years, 1 month old when recaptured and re-released in 2014 during banding operations in Idaho. She had been banded in 2007 in the same state. Source: www.allaboutbirds.org. Photo by Nancy Ann Hibbs
Menu
Calliope Hummingbird Flits Around Wild Flower Garden
Copyright © 2012-2024 The Los Alamos Daily Post is the Official Newspaper of Record in Los Alamos County. This Site and all information contained here including, but not limited to news stories, photographs, videos, charts, graphs and graphics is the property of the Los Alamos Daily Post, unless otherwise noted. Permission to reprint in whole or in part is hereby granted, provided that the Los Alamos Daily Post and author/photographer are properly cited. Opinions expressed by readers, columnists and other contributors do not necessarily reflect the views of the Los Alamos Daily Post. The Los Alamos Daily Post newspaper was founded Feb. 7, 2012 by Owner/Publisher Carol A. Clark.