In Season 1, Episode 2 of Planet Earth II, Sir David Attenborough describes how one special hummingbird has gone through great lengths to avoid competition. In tropical jungles, nectar is first come first serve, so competition is furious among the hundreds of hummingbird species. However, one particular hummingbird species, the sword-billed hummingbird (Ensifera ensiferas) has... Continue Reading →
How to Get the Girl: The (Spatule)Tale
It’s hard to get the girl. In the case of the marvelous spatuletail hummingbird (Loddigesia mirabilis), males need more than just pretty looks — they need stamina, as shown in Episode 5 of David Attenborough’s Life Season 1. Males of this species are unique in one particular feature: their spatules (or rackets) [1]. The male... Continue Reading →