January
30th 2008
Posted under bird behavior & science
One of life’s little mysteries has been solved: the distinctive high-pitched “chirp” that a male Anna’s hummingbird can make is generated by the tail feathers, it’s not a vocal sound at all! BBC News has an article about it, with a link to the sound (worth hearing) and a poor-quality, far-away soundless video preceded by an ad (not worth watching). By the way, this is not the chip-chip-chip sound, which is indeed a vocalization, it’s a special CHEEP that the hummingbird makes only at the bottom of a steep dive.
BethL on 14 Feb 2008 at 8:03 pm #
Joe Eaton has a local take (including the Albany Bulb!) on the Anna’s hummingbird discussion in today’s Berkeley Daily Planet:
http://www.berkeleydailyplanet.com/issue/2008-02-12/article/29227
It’s fascinating to see this at close hand, too. I’m so used to seeing hummingbirds hover and swoop, but the dive is in another realm - even more so with this discovery.
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