Hummingbirds are among the most important parts of their ecosystems, but they're also some of the trickiest to track. Now, with the help of new technology, conservationists are starting to better understand how to help the beautiful birds.
How can you track something that's about four inches in size, weighs as much as a pair of nickels, and flies around at about 30 miles per hour? That's the task conservationists seeking to understand hummingbird habits have been up against.
As tricky as it may sound, it's crucial to know as much as we can about these tiniest of creatures. Hummingbirds play a huge role as pollinators in their ecosystems, and their well-being is closely tied to the well-being of all life.
A group of researchers and scientists is now getting closer to mapping out the hummingbird lifestyle in the Colombian Andes, as detailed in the journal Ecology and Evolution and reported by Futurity. By strapping tiny backpack-like trackers to local hummingbird species, they can monitor the dizzyingly fast movements of these crucial creatures.
The trackers are solar-powered and last through the lifespan of the Great Sapphirewing and Bronze-tailed Thornbill birds sporting them. These hummingbirds are particularly difficult to track, as they live in wild terrain over 10,000 feet above sea level.
Similar backpack trackers have been deployed on the endangered giant hummingbird. Researchers believe the technology can easily be adapted to track other small creatures who support our ecosystems. They're also deploying other innovative methods to monitor and protect endangered species.
Using the trackers, researchers can learn more about the home ranges, seasonal behavior, and eating habits of the birds. According to a study published in October 2024, this can provide a major boost to conservation efforts in the face of a changing climate.
Although they live above 10,000 feet, these hummingbirds impact life far beyond their mountainous confines. They allow their ecosystem to flourish and protect the food supply, which is why conservationists continue to innovate in their efforts to understand these elusive birds.
"It's very challenging to protect an animal when you don't know where or how far it moves each day, or what kinds of habitats it prefers," coauthor of the hummingbird study Alyssa Sargent said, per Futurity. "The fact that these questions are still largely unanswered when it comes to hummingbirds means that there remains a lot of important work to be done!"
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