Hummingbirds are even more magical than we thought.
With his bright, iridescent feathers, a male hummingbird can mesmerize us just by sitting still on a perch. But a new study shows that humans are probably not getting the full effect because hummingbirds can see colors that we can't.
Scientists have known for a long time that birds likely see colors better than people do. People are trichromatic, like most primates. This means our eyes have three types of cones that can see blue, green, and red. But birds are tetrachromatic, which means they have four color cones.
Bird eyes are tetrachromatic, which means they have four color cones. Human eyes only have three types of color cones. People can see spectral hues (the seven colors of the rainbow) and one non-spectral color (purple), but birds can see a much more comprehensive range of colors, including those in the ultraviolet spectrum, such as UV-green and UV-red. At least, that's what people think. Researchers have just recently done much research on what birds can see.
We can see the colors of the rainbow—red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet—with our three color cones. These colors are called "spectral hues." We can also see purple, a pure color, not in the rainbow because it stimulates our red and blue cones.
The fact that birds have four color cones means that they should be able to see a broader range of colors, including those in the ultraviolet spectrum, which include UV-green and UV-red.
The hummingbirds quickly learned that one color meant a sweet sip and the other meant plain water, which wasn't as good.
Scientists watched how often the birds went to each feeder over three field sessions. They found that broad-tailed hummingbirds always chose the feeder with the sweetest taste, no matter if it had a non-spectral or spectral color.
Purple is the most transparent non-spectral color to humans. Technically, purple is not part of the rainbow. It is made when our blue (short-wave) and red (long-wave) cones are stimulated but not our green (medium-wave) cones. People can only see one non-spectral color: purple. Birds, on the other hand, should be able to catch up to five: purple, ultraviolet+red, ultraviolet+green, ultraviolet+yellow, and ultraviolet+purple.
Can a Hummingbird Recognize You?
Hummingbirds are brilliant for how small they are.
A person's brain makes up about 2% of their body weight, but a hummingbird's brain is more than double that at 4.2%. They can remember the location of every flower or feeder they've been to and how long it takes for a plant to fill up a flower cup with nectar after it's been emptied. A creature with a heart that beats 1,200 times per minute can't waste energy by going to a flower like an empty refrigerator.
Hummingbirds know and remember people, and they will sometimes fly around their heads to let them know that their feeders are empty or that the sugar water has gone wrong. The feeder behind the screen, on the other hand, had just been refilled with white sugar and water in a ratio of one part sugar to four parts water, so the person watching from a chair could only assume that the female ruby-throat was getting to know the bird and thanking it.
Do Hummingbirds Recognize Humans?
Hummingbirds remember so well that they could "give the largest land mammal a run for its memory." Hummingbirds have a perfect memory, which helps them remember when they've been to a flower to get more nectar. This is incredibly fascinating to watch in the wild.
The elephant is much larger than the hummingbird, and the saying "an elephant never forgets" could soon be used to describe hummingbirds. Even though the elephant is giant overall, its brain is much more significant. The hummingbird's brain is much more potent per brain cell, even though it is much smaller.
With such a significant memory, it makes sense that hummingbirds could remember people they see often.
Because of ethical concerns, it's not likely to be tested in a lot of academic settings. If people feed hummingbirds too often, they won't be afraid of them anymore, which makes them vulnerable to being hurt by people.
Do Hummingbirds Know Who Feeds Them?
They most definitely do. In general, hummingbirds are brilliant animals, and they can remember almost as much as an elephant. The above story from World of Hummingbirds shows that hummingbirds not only know who fills the feeder but also try to talk to us in their ways.
Animals are very good at figuring out when they will be fed. This isn't something that only hummingbirds do, but they do it in the cutest way.
Just imagine a tiny bird hovering in front of you because it's hungry, and you need to fill the feeder. That is so sweet.
Do Hummingbirds Have Good Night Vision?
Hummingbirds don't have perfect night vision because they don't usually come out at night. This is another reason they typically don't eat at night unless in a brightly lit area.
And keep in mind that if they migrate at night, they don't need to see where they're going because it's part of their instinct.
Here are 10 things you probably didn't know about hummingbirds.