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Do
Hummingbirds Hum?
Price: $21.95
Subtitle:
Fascinating Answers to Questions About Hummingbirds
Author: George C. West and
Carol A. Butler
Edition: Paper
Pages: 208 pages
Series: Rutgers Animal Q &
A series
Subject: Natural
History, Science
Paper ISBN: 978-0-8135-4738-1
Publication Date: April
2010
Series: Rutgers
Animal Q & A
series
Related Links
Interview from the
program "The Naturalist" on the
Heritage Radio Network
David
Hemming's hummingbird photos
Beautiful hummingbird video
The Hummingbird Monitoring
Network
Praise for Do
Hummingbirds Hum?
"This volume excels in compiling research on this interesting avian lineage and presents the material in an accessible and enjoyable manner."
—Quarterly Review of Biology, December 2010
“West and Butler's book is a
very refreshing change of pace on a variety of subjects regarding the
hummingbird. It is a delight to find such a comprehensive and
concise treatment of the most commonly asked questions regarding the
lives of these tiny little beasts”
—Bob Sargent, co-founder The
Hummer/Bird Study Group, Inc
“Do Hummingbirds Hum? is
a well-organized and nicely researched book that will be a wonderful
addition to any hummingbirder's library”
—Nancy Newfield, Naturalist,
Hummingbird Bander
"An interesting compendium of knowledge about these marvelous little
birds. This volume contains a wealth of information concerning
hummingbird biology from the seemingly trivial facts to somewhat
complex considerations. Highly recommended."
—Choice
Description:
Hummingbirds may be the smallest
birds in the world, but they have the biggest appetites. Their wings
flutter on average fifty to eighty times each second as they visit
hundreds of flowers over the course of a day to sip the sweet nectar
that sustains them. Their hearts beat nearly twelve hundred times a
minute and their rapid breathing allows these amazing birds to sustain
their unique manner of flight. They can hover in the air for prolonged
periods, fly backwards using forceful wings that swivel at the
shoulder, and dive at nearly two hundred miles per hour. Native only to
the Americas, some hummingbirds have been known to migrate from Mexico
to Alaska in the course of a season. Watching a hummingbird at a
backyard feeder, we only see its glittering iridescent plumage and its
long, narrow beak; its rapidly moving wings are a blur to our eyes.
These tiny, colorful birds
have long fascinated birders, amateur naturalists, and gardeners. But, do they really hum?
In Do Hummingbirds
Hum? George C. West, who has studied and banded over 14,000
hummingbirds in Arizona, and Carol A. Butler provide an overview of
hummingbird biology for the general reader, and more detailed
discussions of their morphology and behavior for those who want to fly
beyond the basics. Enriched with beautiful and rare photography,
including a section in vivid color, this engaging question and answer
guide offers readers a wide range of information about these glorious
pollinators as well as tips for attracting, photographing, and
observing hummingbirds in the wild or in captivity.
About the Authors:
GEORGE C. WEST is
a professor emeritus of zoophysiology at the University of Alaska
Fairbanks, and a researcher in the physiology and ecology of birds. He
has published more than one hundred scientific papers, provided
hundreds of illustrations for others, and recently published the
revised and updated A Birder’s Guide to Alaska.
CAROL A. BUTLER is
the coauthor of Salt Marshes: A Natural and Unnatural History (Rutgers
University Press), Do Butterflies Bite? Fascinating Answers to
Questions about Butterflies and Moths, Do Bats Drink Blood? Fascinating
Answers to Questions about Bats, and Why Do Bees Buzz? Fascinating
Answers to Questions about Bees.
Other books in the Rutgers
Animal Q&A Series
Do
Butterflies Bite?
Why
Do Bees Buzz?
Do
Bats Drink Blood?
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Price: $21.95
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