Hummingbirds Are Growing Longer Beaks and Your Bird Feeder Could Be The Surprising Reason For It
Human action is changing the world. While the fact is generally associated with a negative perspective, a new study has sparked a hopeful twist in the story. A team of researchers has established a connection between bird feeders and the evolution of hummingbird beaks in a study published in the journal Global Change Biology. The evolutionary change has seemed to occur over 10 generations of the bird species, with a close link to the proliferation of nectar feeders along the Pacific coast. The bewildering observation could potentially revolutionize the way we see human-caused environmental change on the planet.
Hummingbirds with longer beaks
The beak alterations were first noticed in Anna’s Hummingbirds, a species that rapidly spread across habitats in California. This was following the boom in commercial hummingbird feeders during the mid-20th century. The researchers extracted data from museum specimens, the Christmas Bird Count, and, more importantly, historic newspaper adverts that unwittingly recorded the popularity of feeding hummingbirds as a backyard pastime. Co-author and evolutionary biologist at the University of Rochester, Faye Reomero, who worked on the study as an undergraduate at the University of California, Berkeley, said, “We’re witnessing how human action is changing the organisms we see on a day-to-day basis, in almost real time.”
Soon enough, hummingbirds were approaching the feeders with novel beak shapes that enhanced their ability to suck nectar from the outlets. The evolution was evident, but there was no data to establish it directly. Hence, the experts got to work to develop a research study that proved the change in beaks. They analyzed specimens from 1861 and measured their bills and documented the evidence. According to the study, hummingbirds grew long, tapered bills over time that could hold greater volumes of liquid, maximising every gulp from the feeder. “After World War II, you see a jump in the distribution of a bunch of these traits,” co-author Nicolar Alexandre, a geneticist at Colossal Biosciences. Moth Light Media explained the evolution of the hummingbirds in an interesting YouTube video.
The spread of bird feeders and their impact on hummingbirds
It was not until 1947 that bird feeders witnessed a commercial after the sale of the first patented feeder. Until then, the newspaper ads recorded primitive methods of feeding hummingbirds, like dipping a broom in sugary water and then holding it up to a nest, suggested author Eliza Grames, a conservation biologist at Birmingham University. Eventually, early variants of the modern-day flower-shaped tubes and glass globe feeders came into existence. With most homes in California now sporting an attractive nectar feeder, hummingbirds were aware of the abundant sugary fuel and evolved their beaks to better suit the development. BBC Earth YouTube showcased the hummingbird species with the world's longest beak: the sword-billed hummingbird.
Earlier on, hummingbirds sucked nectar from flowers and hence, their beaks were shaped accordingly. The magic of evolution kept pace with the man-made food resources and influenced traits in the hummingbird species to extract nectar from feeders instead of flowers. “Imagine you have this unlimited, giant container of nectar that’s always available. It makes sense to just maximize the amount of nectar you can get with every gulp,” noted Alexandre. Simultaneously, the increased competition near feeders urged the territorial little birds to amp up their combat skills, with male bills becoming sharper. “A hummingbird feeder is basically pulling hundreds of flowers together in a single spot. It’s a very tempting resource to defend,” highlighted Alejandro Rico-Guevara, co-author and evolutionary biologist.