Trochilide

Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)

the humming birds, a family of insessorial birds, containing above 300 species, divided into about 75 genera or subgenera. The trochilidæ include some of the smallest known birds, many of which are remarkable for the wonderful splendor of their plumage. In this one respect alone, neither pen nor pencil could convey any adequate idea of their dazzling luster. They are active little birds, and from the structure of their frames, it is apparent that they were intended to pass most of their time on the wing. Their food consists of small insects, and perhaps the nectareous juices of flowers, which their tongue is beautifully fashioned for obtaining. This organ is very long, and can be darted out of the bill to a considerable length, by a sudden motion like that of a spring. Their feet are small, generally darkcolored. Their wings are very long and narrow, and they are, by means of the rapid motion given to them, able to balance themselves in the air, hovering round flowering shrubs and plants, probing their tubular nectaries, and at the same time emitting a pretty loud humming noise, caused by the concussion of their wings with the air; whence their English name "humming birds." The trochilidæ are very pugnacious little creatures, and defend their nests with the greatest courage against all intruders, even man himself. They are natives of America, and are found from one extent of the continent to the other, though in greatest numbers in the tropical parts, in the deltas, and along the banks of the great rivers both of the North and South. Mellisuga humilis, a species peculiar to the West Indies, has a very sweet note, and is perhaps the only species of the family that has a real song. The male bird of this variety is about 2½ inches in length, and is exactly like a bumblebee when darting about in the air. The nests of the humming birds are wonderfully made, with cotton, wool and twigs, beautifully interwoven with feathers, and lined with down, and almost all the species lay two eggs, which in some cases are extraordinarily small. The smallest species of all is the Mellisuga minima, which is only about one inch a quarter in length, and which and weighs but 20 grains.