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Published: November 7th 2009
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the flutter of beauty
When the first rays of the sun hardly start to struggle through the dark clouds hanging over the sea, the nature seems magically quiet. Everything around comes to a standstill - only light noise of waves, accompanied by rustle of palm leaves, can slightly disturb this silence. All around plays in magic colours and one can't help but take notice of these magnificent views.
I enjoy enormously finding myself on this isolated sandy sea shore, surrounded by disorderly coco trees, lines of beach beds and few empty bars. It's really marvellous to stay alone here, feeling the charm and luxury of the solitude that nature offers. Overcrowded in the day and like deserted now, the beach is truly captivating.
Time flies here. I have been walking for two hours already and now decide to leave. I stoop down to pick up all my things, when suddenly, in the middle of a bush, I catch sight of a tiny being of extraordinary beauty. Its feathering includes all colours of the rainbow, dazzling with richness of various tints and changing, according to light and visual angle. I remain immovable not to frighten it off. What amazes
me a lot is the speed it beats its wings with and the way it moves in all possible directions, like a micro-helicopter.
I come up closer to discern which kind of creature, so cheerful and full of life, I have the luck to meet, and recognize immediately, by its rich shining colour and unique humming sound, Zoom Zoom or Guacariga — the way the caribbean inhabitants call this bird.
Despite its size, a hummingbird percentagewise possesses the largest brain of all birds (4.2% of its body weight) and the largest heart that beats up to 1,260 beats per minute.
It's a pity that this beautiful creature lives a very short life (many die during the first year) but, however, it has a long history. For Indigenous tribes of pre-Columbian times «Taino»(that means «good» or «noble»), Colibri is a symbol of rebirth. By their legend, Zoom Zooom is the result of transformation from insect into a bird by the Sun Father. And you believe it, 'cause nobody less God could unite all the positive features of birds in one.
Very remarkable is that so far the Doctor Bird, one of the rarest of 320 species of hummingbirds, who produces iridescent colour characteristics only of that family, still stays a national symbol of the Caribbean island of Jamaica. People give great importance to it and they are proud as this species lives only there and it reflects Jamaica's history and culture, makes people excited and, as well, different from others.
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I could enjoy watching that bird all the day — so admirable it is, flitting from flower to flower, collecting nectar, having no sense of smell, but acute eyesight — they can see farther than humans and make out ultraviolet light.
Hummingbird is unique. Not everybody knows that it stays among Guinness World Records for its special characteristics. Firstly, Colibri is the only bird in the world which has ability to fly arsy-versy and roll head over heels. To hover in the air, equipoising, it has to flap the wings all the time, circumscribing octad. As opposed to other species of birds, Colibri can take its wings and touch down the surface vertically! In the case in question I can't help mentioning Heliactin cornuta, an inhabitant of South America, that is considered the fastest bird that flaps its wings 90 times per second. For this reason this tiny being requires a lot of energy and, taking care of it, when Colibri cannot get enough food to fuel itself, it goes into torpor. By the way, Hummingbird eats more than its weight in one hour and its metabolism is about 100 times that of an elephant! It uses its W-shaped tongue to lap up nectar from flowers at a speed of 12 times per second.
It should be noted that Zoom Zoom has the smallest nests and eggs of the animal world. Imagine that the nest of Vervain Hummingbird (Millisuga minima) is about two times smaller than shell of circassian walnut or the nest of Bee Hummingbird (Mellisuga helinae) is not bigger than a thimble. The former is significant for the smallest eggs of 0,365 g, less than 1 cm long, and the latter is recorded as the smallest animal in the world (1,6 g, 5,7 cm).
Finally, think that this diminutive non-stop engine, found from Alaska to Chile, can cross the Gulf of Mexico of 500 miles at once with the speed of 20 to 30 miles per hour and breathing up to 600 times during the flight. So arrowy and energetic as well as sweet and charming, Colibri takes all advantages over other kinds of birds.
I keep vigilant watch on this hummingbird without taking off my eyes when it, flapping its wings, collects the nectar of the flower and, giving me the last opportunity to take a photograph, disappears in the endless sky.
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liliram
liliram
Nice Start.........
For someone who does not hold English as mother tongue, you write very clearly and express yourself very well. Welcome to TravelBlog!