What's Going on With Hummingbirds?

Tweet

I read an interesting article about hummingbirds recently and the information was not all good. Here is a part of what it said. You can also read the entire piece at the URL featured below. A mixture of climate change, flower blooming times, and warmer winters have caused hummingbird migration and nectar availability to change. Certain species in the Western United States are migrating two weeks earlier each spring than they did 40 years ago. Insects make up a large part of their diet and there has been a 40% decline in insect populations worldwide. Millions of birds in North America alone die annually from window strikes. Larger birds, domestic cats and even praying mantises make hummingbirds their prey. A disease, Avian pox, spread by mosquitoes, causes lesions on hummingbirds' eyes and beaks. This severely limits their ability to feed. There are some hummingbirds that are poached and sold as traditional medicines and also as trinkets. Their feathers are used for decorations.