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Today on Animal Fact Files we’re discussing giant hummingbirds. These birds get their common name because, compared to other hummingbird species, they are giants. Giant hummingbirds are about the size of a robin, albeit far more slender. They average about 9 inches (23 cm) long and have a 8 inch (20 cm) wingspan. Of course, they still need to get around in the air, so they only weigh about 20 grams on average. A single giant hummingbird is about the size of eight ruby throated hummingbirds! Unlike a lot of their flashy family members, giant hummingbirds have dull feathers. Both males and females sport grayish green back feathers with a rusty chest and white rump.

Giant hummingbirds live in open and scrubby habitats along the Andes Mountain range in South America. For a long time there was only one classified species of giant hummingbird, but new information has brought to light there are actually two giant hummingbird species alive today! The northern giant hummingbirds are slightly larger than their southern congeners because they do not migrate and are adapted for life at high elevations year-round. Their lungs are slightly larger to accommodate for the lower oxygen density at high altitudes. In fact, they can live higher than two and a half miles (4,000 m) above sea level! Southern giant hummingbirds migrate northward during the winter and traverse from coastal plains to mountain peaks, that's an altitude range most hummingbirds don't experience!

Giant hummingbirds are considered “slow fliers” in the hummingbird world. They only beat their wings 15 times per second and are described as having sluggish movement, at least for a hummingbird. These giants are still able to move around, though! They can hover and fly backwards like other hummingbird species, and they catch flying insects straight from the air! Giant hummingbirds often perch on vegetation or a human-made structure to watch for potential meals. Not only do they eat insects, they're also pollinators that drink nectar from various plant species including cactuses, agave, and bromeliads. They also utilize these defensive plants for rearing their offspring.

A roving snake is a danger to helpless, flightless hummingbird chicks. Confined to their nest, they're any easy target for anything that might scoop them up as a snack. So, resourceful giant hummingbird parents construct their nests atop cactuses or tucked away into hidden crooks of dense bushes to help keep their babies safe. Plus, giant hummingbirds are aggressively territorial. They'll pretty much only tolerate their partner in their territory and any other birds, hummingbird or otherwise, are driven off with attacks and high pitched squeaks. Here's an example of what they sound like: (squeak). 

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