dream of mexico a hummingbird’s visit This is a sign of a good omen. According to a belief inherited from pre-Hispanic civilizations, these tiny birds flap their wings 80 times a second in the air. a short message from our dead.
“Inside mesoamerican culture Hummingbirds have been associated with war and love,” she says. Maria del Coro ArizonaHe is one of the leading experts on these birds living in the Americas, with 330 species recorded from Alaska to Chile. It is estimated that up to 58 of them are distributed in Mexico, of which 14 are endemic. But as the ornithologist warns, “there may be much more” in reality.
This destruction and fragmentation of habitats They currently represent one of the greatest threats to these very special animals, the smallest and most diverse group of birds. “According to International Union for Conservation of Nature There are nine threatened species in our country (IUCN), two are endangered and six are under special protection,” says the author of the guide, who has studied hummingbirds for over three decades from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). most complete.
In Mesoamerican culture, hummingbirds were associated with war and love.
popularly known rose sucker“These outstanding pollinators. More than 10,000 plants depend on them in North and South America,” said Arizmendi, noting that these animals, with their long, awl-shaped beaks, pierce flowers in seconds and obtain food. keep flying while they drink nectar”, explains the expert.
For this reason, these birds, whose feathers vary from brown to bright metallic color depending on the brightness of the sun, they fly back and forthOpen their little trunks up and down, vertically and horizontally to conquer the air environment at will. “In some species they also have an impressive acrobatic capacity for courtship,” he notes. Juan Francisco Ornelas RodriguezHe is a researcher at the Institute of Ecology at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (Inecol) and one of the foremost Mexican experts on hummingbirds.
“They need a lot of energy to maintain such an activity, so they spend all their time. eating nectartheir metabolism requires a constant dose of sugar”, adds the ornithologist.
They have an impressive acrobatic capacity and are also linked to courtship in some species.
small but warriors
The hummingbird, the smallest species of which is characterized by its small size not exceeding 2 and a half grams, an extremely warlike animal. Contrary to what many believe They are not social, they do not travel in groups. and defend their territory in a way no other animal can. They feed only on nectar and always need to eat, they do not allow anyone to approach their flowers, which they aggressively defend. That’s why they’re associated with war,” explains Arizmendi. Huitzilopochtli, Mexican god of warThe brave warrior who made the Mesoamerican people the strongest “whose name translates as left-handed hummingbird”.
Contrary to the powerful symbology that associates them with war, hummingbirds are also represent love. According to the Mexicans, these birds would be born of Coatlicue, goddess of fertility. “And I think it’s because of the biological function they have: they devote their lives to pollination, which is sexual reproduction flowering plants,” explains the UNAM biologist.
While this “love actor” offers them good luck, other aspects of their physiology associate them with the underworld. “Hummingbirds need to maintain their very fast metabolism. they spend the day constantly eating. They can’t go more than 10 minutes without eating because their energy will run out,” says Arizmendi.
Most likely, when our ancestors found them at night, they thought they were dead because they remained as solid as mummies.
In climates, such as Mexico City, where the ambient temperature drops significantly at night, many species enter a state of dormancy; the hibernation they perform every night. “Just as bears lower their metabolism, hummingbirds lower their body temperature to 19°C and maintain only minimal vital functions such as breathing and heartbeat,” said the expert, adding that this biological feature leads to certain beliefs.
“Most likely, our ancestors who lived in forests and forests, seeing these birds like this at night, thought they were dead, because they stay tough like mummies. But as soon as you hold them in your hand, they get warm, and when the sun gets hot, they almost come to life and begin to fly. Of course, this is why they are believed to be beings living between the worlds of the living and the dead, carrying their thoughts from one place to another,” Arizmendi states. A belief that makes them victims of illicit trade.
Hummingbirds as a Santeria product
“Years ago they sold it at the subway exit from Mexico City. A man offered them stuffed on a stick on Valentine’s Day so that the boys would win the girls,” complains the ornithologist. Fortunately, this practice disappeared, but turned into amulets, talismans made with herbs and medicinal essences, such as honey, a lock of hair, a virgin medal, a photograph of the desired person, and many more symbolic details. They tie the dead bird with string to create love and manipulating emotions.
Years ago they sold them at the exit of different subways in Mexico City. A man offered them stuffed for Valentine’s Day
Such talismans can easily be found in legends. Sonoran Marketthe largest black magic market in all of Latin America: maze corridors where drugs for fatigue or migraine are presented in vials labeled natural oils, and disease, whether cancer or “air sickness”, is treated with potions and counseling. astral maps, going to shamans or praying to San Judas.
in this black marketBlack cats and roosters and even goats are sold for Santeria victims, who have been accused of animal abuse for years. “And love sickness It is cured by magic with hummingbirds,” says Arizmendi, ironically, which is part of the complaint against this market, thanks to an investigation out of the United States where the Mexican hummingbird black market comes from. “However, the practice of catching them for love spells comes from Cuban Santeria, not Mesoamerican cultures,” says the expert.
The practice of catching them for love spells comes from Cuban Santeria, not Mesoamerican cultures.
In 2009, researchers documented more than 650 dead hummingbirds sold at the Sonora Market. samples had been caught with net and slings. “At that time its price did not exceed 100 pesos (less than 5 euros),” emphasizes the researcher, that the police raid was only illegal business “Then they sold it again,” he says briefly.
According to another study conducted in 2019, the value of these dead animals had risen to 150 pesos, putting many of the hummingbirds in the capital, which is home to up to 17 species, at risk.
Although less and less, hummingbirds they continue to be sold for esoteric purposes. “The government is doing nothing because it seems like a trivial matter to them, but it is a problem that needs to be solved by education,” Arizmendi complains. Although the slaughter and sale is prohibited in Mexico and the law gives strict protection to 20 hummingbird species and subspecies, there is no effective attempt to stop their illegal trade.
The government does nothing because it seems like a trivial matter to them.
And while some are in danger of disappearing, just as earwig hummingbird, doricha elizaNative to Mexico, the bird Ornelas is best known for is the same bird that peeks into his partner’s garden in the midst of epidemic confinement. Fernando Gonzalez-Garcia. Indifferent to myths promising good luck, this biologist considered the hummingbird’s visit a professional guess: “When they appeared in my house, I decided to devote myself to studying them,” says the ornithologist, who is also a researcher. at Inecol, who until then was investigating another bird, the horned peacock, better known as the chachalaca.
More species than registered
“The earwig hummingbird has very little distribution in our country and has two populations that are more than 800 kilometers apart. One is located in the north of the Yucatan peninsula and lives among the mangroves, and the other is in the center of Veracruz, where it lives. lowland dry forests and savannas”, points to the researcher. “It is suspected that there may be two different species,” he adds.
“There are several hypotheses that suggest they are different species of hummingbirds, but more work is needed,” says Ornelas. “Physical characters are examined to see population differences, but also genetic data is examined, DNA sequences The biologist explains to the ornithologist who thinks that in Mexico “there may be many more species than are officially registered, as with the hummingbird earwig.”
“Although there are officially 14 endemic hummingbirds in Mexico, there are probably as many as 24.”, agrees with González-García. But there is a lack of studies as well as population data of different hummingbirds distributed across the country. “Predictions have been made, but not well measured. Comparing data from 30 years ago, some populations appear to have declined over the last decade, but we don’t know for sure how many,” concludes Ornelas.
In Mexico, there may be many more species than are officially registered, as is the case with the earwig hummingbird.
And the dangers that threaten them are increasing day by day: destruction of habitats by humans. tourist development throughout the entire Mexican territory,” land use changes for crops or cattle pasture burning, build houses and parking lots”, accuses Gómez-Fernández. In addition to grasslands and forests converted to human habitation, wild cats They also represent an imminent threat.
“Need more space urgently She underlines Arizmendi, who has been supporting gardens as shelters for these birds, which have been serving as pollinators since 2014. reproduced in schools and public buildings. “This Education is essential for conservation.not as amulets how fascinating hummingbirds are, when they fly freely”, concludes the ornithologist.
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Contact address of the environment department: crizclimatica@prensaiberica.es
Source: Informacion
James Sean is a writer for “Social Bites”. He covers a wide range of topics, bringing the latest news and developments to his readers. With a keen sense of what’s important and a passion for writing, James delivers unique and insightful articles that keep his readers informed and engaged.