In this page I will be presenting the most significant pieces of evidence that I found during my research.
SciComm Article Reasearch Studies
Lara, Carlos, et al. “Microgeographical Variation in Song Repertoire and Structure between the Leks of Green Violetears Colibri Thalassinus in Central Mexico.” Acta Ornithologica, vol. 50, no. 1, 2015, pp. 23–32, https://bioone.org/journals/acta-ornithologica/volume-50/issue-1/00016454AO2015.50.1.004/Microgeographical-Variation-in-Song-Repertoire-and-Structure-between-the-Leks/10.3161/00016454AO2015.50.1.004.short
The author of the article “Microgeographical Variation in Song Repertoire and Structure between the Leks of Green Violetears Colibri Thalassinus in Central Mexico.”, Carlos Lara specializes in birds of Mexican origin. The article was published on June 1st, 2015 in the BigOne website. The researchers studied Colibri Hummingbird leks from 7 different regions within the La Malinche National Park; each leks’ singing was observed and recorded. They found that leks within the same area used the same syllables and, sometimes, leks from different areas sang the same syllable but in different orders. This can help us understand the geographical implications on Colibri leks and their singing in order to understand how colibris enhance their communication. This article relates to the other two as they’re all about hummingbirds’ songs.
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Barrantes, Gilbert, et al. “Male Song Variation of Green Violetear (Colibri Thalassinus) in the Talamanca Mountain Range, Costa Rica.” The Wilson Journal of Ornithology, vol. 120, no. 3, 2008, pp. 519–24, https://bioone.org/journals/the-wilson-journal-of-ornithology/volume-120/issue-3/07-024.1/Male-song-variation-of-Green-Violetear-Colibri-thalassinus-in-the/10.1676/07-024.1.short
Gilbert Barrantes, the author of “Male Song Variation of Green Violetear (Colibri Thalassinus) in the Talamanca Mountain Range, Costa Rica.”, specializes in animal behavior. This article was published on September 1st, 2008 in the BigOne website. Barrantes studied the song variations of different hummingbirds from 19 regions during breeding season. He found that male hummingbirds usually stay in the same area for about 6 days and males have 4 song types varying in frequency. This can help researchers learn more about Colibris’ mating calls and rituals which could ultimately help preserve the species. Overall, the research in this article and in Carlos Lara’s are similar as they both investigate Colibris’ songs during breeding season.
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Sandra L. L. Gaunt, Luis F. Baptista, Julio E. S¡nchez, Daniel Hernandez, “Song Learning as Evidenced from Song Sharing in Two Hummingbird Species (Colibri Coruscans and C. Thalassinus).” The Auk, Volume 111, Issue 1, 1 January 1994, Pages 87–103, https://academic.oup.com/auk/article/111/1/87/5167938
Sandra L. L. Grant, the author of “Song Learning as Evidenced from Song Sharing in Two Hummingbird Species (Colibri Coruscans and C. Thalassinus).”, works at Ohio State University in the Borror laboratory. This article was published on January 1st, 1944 on the Oxford Academy Ornithology page. The researchers recorded Colibris’ songs from Quito Ecuador. They found that different neighborhoods of Colibri hummingbirds have different song types. This research can help us understand how songs are shared within a neighborhood of Colibri hummingbirds in order to understand their relationships better. The results for this article are very similar to Carlos Lara’s article which also found some distinct differences in song repertoire between the Colibris from different regions.
Hummingbird Problem Sources
Devon L. Graham. “Spider Webs and Windows as Potentially Important Sources of Hummingbird Mortality (Telas de Araña y Ventanas Como Fuentes Potenciales de Mortalidad Para Zumbadores).” Journal of Field Ornithology, vol. 68, no. 1, 1997, pp. 98–101. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/4514198 .
Devon L. Graham, the author of the article “Spider Webs and Windows as Potentially Important Sources of Hummingbird Mortality (Telas de Araña y Ventanas Como Fuentes Potenciales de Mortalidad Para Zumbadores).”, is a professor at the University of Miami who specializes in biology. This article was published by Resilience Alliance Inc. The researcher explored the main sources of Hummingbird mortality which included predation and starvation. Graham also mentions how hummingbirds may use spiderwebs as nesting material but they often end caught up on the web. This could help researchers learn of other potential threats for hummingbirds and potentially find ways to help hummingbirds avoid these threats.
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Zenzal, Theodore J., et al. “Observations of Predation and Anti-Predator Behavior of Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds during Migratory Stopover.” Southeastern Naturalist, vol. 12, no. 4, 2013, pp. N21–25. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/44657464 .
Theodore J. Zenzal, the author of this article is an avian ecology researcher. This article was published by Eagle Hill Institute and explores the predation that occurs while hummingbirds are migrating, more specifically, while hummingbirds take a break from flying. The researchers observed hummingbirds during their autumn migration. They observed how other animals such as hawks killed hummingbirds whilst on their voyage. Overall, this research could help researchers understand hummingbirds’ migration patterns and their behavior when they encounter predators.
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Miller, Richard S., and C. L. Gass. “Survivorship in Hummingbirds: Is Predation Important?” The Auk, vol. 102, no. 1, 1985, pp. 175–78. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/4086840 .
Richard S. Miller is a professor in the environmental college from Yale University. The article “Survivorship in Hummingbirds: Is Predation Important?” was published by the Oxford University Press. The researchers recorded the instances in which a predator killed an adult hummingbird. In their table they included number of instances, predator, hummingbird species, and source. This article, like the first, can help researchers understand potential threats to hummingbirds’ lives.
Solution Sources
Brown, Sandra, and Daniel Zarin. “What Does Zero Deforestation Mean?” Science, vol. 342, no. 6160, 2013, pp. 805–07. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/42620080 . Accessed 31 May 2024.
Sandra Brown is a member of Winrock international and Daniel Zarin is a member of the climate and land use alliance. This article was published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science on November 15th, 2013. This article explains how multiple governments and corporate groups have set targets to achieve “zero deforestation”. They advocate for this movement as they believe that it will keep biodiversity in our ecosystems. This relates to one of the causes of hummingbird mortality: deforestation.
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Sylvester Olisake Igbedioh. “Minimizing Environmental and Health Effects of Agricultural Pesticides in Developing Countries.” Ambio, vol. 20, no. 6, 1991, pp. 219–21. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/4313828 . Accessed 31 May 2024.
Sylvester Olisake Igbedioh, the author of this article, has a Phd in nutritional toxicology. This article was published in September of 1991 by Springer on behalf of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. This article explains the negative effect that pesticides have on humans, animals, and crops. Igbedioh explains how all pesticides are toxic and states that developing countries should create a new approach for pest management that will regulate the use of pesticides. This further expands on how pesticides can cause permanent harm to animals such as hummingbirds.
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Powell, Hugh. “Why Birds Hit Windows-and How You Can Help Prevent It.” All About Birds, 4 Oct. 2023, www.allaboutbirds.org/news/why-birds-hit-windows-and-how-you-can-help-prevent-it/ . Accessed 30 May 2024.
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Hugh Powell is a staff writer at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in Ithaca, New York. This article was published on October 4th, 2023 in the All About Birds website. This article mentions ways in which we can prevent birds, such as hummingbirds, from colliding into our homes’ windows. These solutions include tempera paint, decals, screens, and many more. This article is informative of this issue and provides thorough explanations for why window collisions happen. Overall this article also touches on my hummingbird mortality research and gives me more information about one of the leading causes, window collisions.