Mellisuga+helenae

__ Mellisuga helenae ____ : ____ Bee Hummingbird __

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 * __ Scientific Classification __**


 * ** Kingdom ** || Animalia ||
 * ** Phylum ** || Chordata ||
 * ** Class ** || Aves ||
 * ** Order ** || Trochiliformes ||
 * ** Family ** || Trochilidae ||
 * ** Genus ** || Melligusa ||
 * ** Species ** || helenae ||

Although not the largest phylum, Chordata contains the most familiar species, including humans. All chordates have several things in common that occur at some stage of development. They have pharyngeal slits, which are openings that connect the inside of the throat to the outside of the neck. These are often used as gills. Their main feature, what they are named after, is the notochord, which is a rod that supports the nerve cord. The nerve cord is also present in all species. This is a bundle of nerve fibers which connect the brain with the muscles and organs, and is through which messages from the brain are sent. A tail is also present, which extends past the anal opening. In most species these features disappear with age. For example, the pharyngeal slits are only present in the human fetus. There are approx 44 000 species in 3 the subphylums: Cephalochordata, Tunicata (Urochordata), and Vertebrata.
 * __ Description of Phylum: Chordata __**

Bee hummingbirds are the smallest birds in the world. They also spend a higher percentage of their lives flying than any other species. They are comparable in size to large bees. Female //M. helenae// tend to be slightly larger than males. Males grow to be 5.51 cm long and weigh 1.95 g, on average, while females grow to be 6.12 cm long and weigh 2.6 g, on average. This small species is very compact and agile with an average wingspan of 3.25 cm. These birds have straight and rather short beaks when compared with other species of hummingbirds. Male //M. helenae// can be distinguished by their bright colors and the iridescent feathers on their throats. They have specially adapted flight muscles, which make up 22 to 34 percent of their total body weight. Mellisuga helenae are diurnal. Because of the climate they inhabit, they have no need to migrate long distances. They may make seasonal movements in response to the abundance and distribution of flowers. This species is capable of flying at speeds of 25 to 30 MPH. Bee hummingbirds (like other hummingbirds) have unique flying skills. They are able to fly straight up, down, backwards and even upside down. They hover by moving their wings in a figure-eight pattern which allows them to remain stationary in the air. The tiny male birds establish feeding territories, where they aggressively chase other males, bumblebees and hawk moths that try to feed in their territory. Aerial flights and intimidating displays are used to defend the territories.
 * __ Introduction to species __**

**__ Unique Morphological Features __**
As the smallest bird in the world, it is about the size of a large bee. Like all hummingbirds, it is a swift, strong flier. It also can hover over one spot like a helicopter. The bee hummingbird beats its wings an estimated 80 times per second — so fast that the wings look like a blur to human eyes. The male has the green pileum and fiery red throat, iridescent gorget with elongated lateral plumes, bluish upper-parts, and the rest of the underparts mostly greyish white. The male is smaller than the female. The female is green above, whitish below with white tips to the outer tail feathers. Female bee hummingbirds are bluish green with a pale gray underside. The tips of their tailfeathers have white spots. Breeding males have a reddish to pink head, chin, and throat. The female lays only two eggs at a time. The brilliant, iridescent colors of the bee hummingbird's feathers make the bird seem like a tiny jewel. But the iridescence isn't always noticeable. It depends on the angle at which a person looks at the bird. The bird's slender, pointed bill is adapted for probing deep into flowers. The bee hummingbird feeds mainly on nectar. With a tongue shaped like a long tube, the bird sucks up nectar — and an occasional insect or spider — just as if it were using a drinking straw. In the process of feeding, the bird picks up pollen on its bill and head. When it flies from flower to flower, it transfers the pollen. In this way, it plays an important role in plant reproduction. In the space of one day the bee hummingbird may visit 1,500 flowers.
 * __ Unique Anatomical/Physiological Features __**


 * Like most birds, the Bee Hummingbird is equipped ** with a large keel and hollow tapered wings, which aid in flying. As is common among other hummingbirds, their shoulder joints allow their wings to rotate 180 degrees and their small feet and legs can only be used for perching.

** Tail Adaptations  ** Bee hummingbirds, like all hummingbirds, have 10 tail feathers instead of the usual 12. This is to save weight, which conserves energy. Conserving energy is important as hummingbirds have the highest metabolic rate of all animals, and can have a heart rate above 1,200 beats per minute. Like all birds, the tail feathers act as a rudder during flight, but hummingbirds have another adaptation: their tail feathers are able to quickly move up or down, acting as a brake, facilitating quick stops and starts while hovering. Their tail feathers are also very stiff, allowing them to brace the bird while perched.
 * __ Adaptive Habitat Features __**

** Head Adaptations  ** Adaptations in the head of bee hummingbirds set these birds apart from other types of birds. Their heads are proportionately very large for their bodies and they have large brains for their tiny size, allowing them to adapt to unfamiliar terrain and situations as they migrate. Their eyes are large and have the ability to see into the ultraviolet spectrum, which helps them detect flowers. Many flowers have colors in this spectrum invisible to human sight, and hummingbirds have adapted to see these more clearly, helping them find food.

Bee hummingbirds have evolved long, thin beaks and very long, stretchy tongues to allow them to drink nectar from deep within the flowers they feed on. Their beak also allows the mouth to open to catch small insects, which are also an important part of their diet. Their faces are streamlined, allowing them to reach deep into flowers, as well as to reduce drag during flight. They have good hearing, and their ears are covered by feathers to keep out pollen and debris. ** Wing Adaptations  ** Bee hummingbird wings have adaptations that allow the little birds to hover and even fly backwards or sideways. Their wings are narrow and tapered, and have developed the ability to rotate in their sockets much more than other birds. They have incredibly strong breast muscles for their size, and these muscles can move the wings at an amazing rate of 70 to 80 beats per second for bee hummingbirds. All hummingbirds' flight feathers are light but very strong to withstand the huge number of times they beat during flight.

** Metabolic Adaptations  ** Bee hummingbirds have an incredibly fast metabolic rate and must eat close to their body weight every day. They have developed the ability to enter a torpor, or a state of near hibernation where their heart rate slows to a fraction of its normal rate, allowing them to rest at night or when food supplies are low or hard to find.

**__ Range on Earth __** Cuba has a humid subtropical climate with no seasonal extremes, a favorable environment for bee hummingbirds. Bee hummingbirds prefer areas with the plant solandria grand flora, which provides their preferred source of nectar. Although bee hummingbirds may live at both high and low altitudes, they seem to prefer lowlands. They can be found in coastal and interior forests, in mountain valleys, swampy areas and gardens. // Mellisuga helenae // is endemic to ** Cuba ** and formerly Isla de la Juventud, with a patchy distribution including Habana, Sierra de Anafe, Guanahacabibes Peninsula, Zapata Swamp, Moa, Mayarí and the coast of Guantánamo. It is found primarily in coastal forests and forest edge, but also in mountain valleys, forests of the interior, swamplands and gardens. Although formerly common and widespread, it is now rare and localised. This is principally the result of habitat modification and destruction. Much of Cuba's natural vegetation has been converted to cultivation and pasture for cattle, with only 15-20% of land remaining in its natural state, and the recent expansion of cacao, coffee and tobacco production poses a further serious threat.


 * __ Interesting facts __**
 * Amazing Fact: ** Hummingbirds don’t walk! There is a popular misconception that hummingbirds don’t have feet. It is, of course, wrong. But while they do have feet, they don’t use them to walk because they are so poorly developed; this is due to the fact that they spend most of their time in flight and seldom need to walk. Hummingbirds also have an incredibly fast metabolism which means they are always just a few hours away from starvation.


 * __ References __**
 *  Bonilla, M. (2008, May 7). Mellisuga helenae. //Red List//. Retrieved November 12, 2010, from www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/143114/0
 *  Glick, A. (2008, September 19). Mellisuga helenae (Lembeye, 1850) - Encyclopedia of Life. //Encyclopedia of Life//. Retrieved November 14, 2010, from http://www.eol.org/pages/914480
 *  Bee hummingbird (bird) -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia. (2007, August 13). //Encyclopedia - Britannica Online Encyclopedia//. Retrieved November 14, 2010, from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/58263/bee-hummingbird