Someone once said that a hummingbird's vocabulary is 90% swear-words. If you've ever listened to a pair of them vying for possession of the feeder, you'd have to think that was an underestimate. They buzz at each other or utter a series of sharp "czip-czip-czips" which clearly aren't polite language. Boys and girls are equally coarse in their speech. Why, this young miss was saying words which would make a staff sergeant blush!
I must admit--I didn't know they "talked." I thought it was the sound of their wings I hear. They are certainly aggressive. It's a good thing they aren't bigger.
ReplyDeleteAnd a contorted filbert--who knows such things? I'm a bit in awe.
Listen very carefully for tiny little "czip-czip" cheeps. Li'l hummer isn't very big, so he doesn't have a huge voice. It's not much louder than the whirr of their wings. Contorted filbert, aka Harry Lauder's Walking Stick, is a domestic variety of hazel, and perfect habitat for little birds because they can zip in and out of the branches. A larger hawk can't navigate the tangle.
Delete