Hummer Luvs Woody - The Alaskan Flying Symbiotic Orchestra

Published on: Sun, 13 Jul 2008 22:14:44 -0700

When people think about states that are visited by hummingbirds, I doubt if Alaska is one of these states. While Alaska may not be a state that is readily known for its huge population of hummingbirds, there are four species who do visit this great state. These species are Anna's, Rufous, Costa's and Ruby-throated Hummingbirds. The Rufous Hummingbird is one of the most amazing creatures. A full-grown rufous measures 3 1/2 inches from bill tip to tail end. These fuel-efficient birds are the northernmost hummingbirds and travel about 2,600 miles from southern Mexico to spend the summer with Prince William Sound residents in Alaska. I noticed that in July, when the flowers are about gone in this part of alaska, the hummingbirds use sapsuckers to help gather dinner; they suck the sap from holes which sapsuckers - woodpeckers - have predrilled into willow trees. I am pretty sure these are three-toed woodpeckers and not true sapsuckers. It may be the less common red-breasted sapsucker. In ecology, commensalism is a kind of relationship between two organisms where one benefits and the other is not significantly harmed or helped (like a bird living in a tree). The term derives from the English word commensal, meaning "sharing of food" in human social interaction; that word derives from the Latin com mensa, meaning "sharing a table". http://www.adfg.state.ak.us/pubs/notebook/bird/woodpeck.php http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/211301/hummingbirds_in_alaska.html

Author: windham666
Keywords: alaska wilderness hummingbirds sapsuckers symbiotic green earth ecology windham666 atheist
Added: July 13, 2008