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A Natural Treasure: The Ruby-throated Hummingbird [VIDEO]

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By Max McNabb

Raptor Education Group, Inc. has realized an amazing video of a pair of baby Ruby-throated Hummingbirds being fed. The education group says the birds’ nest came down in a storm. The nest will be replaced when the weather clears up, but rest assured the birds are in good hands.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird Chicks /Raptor Education Group, Inc.

We are delighted to share a video featuring two of our tiniest patients. A nest, complete with tiny Ruby-throated Hummingbird chicks arrived yesterday after it came down in a storm. We were not able to replace it, but will continue to try when weather clears. Few people have the honor of witnessing baby hummingbirds as they are fed. Their parent are not doing the feeding, we think they are still pretty amazing. Hummingbirds eat aphids and other tiny insects as well as nectar. Protein is vital to hummingbirds all of their life, but especially so as babies when they are growing quickly. There is a small syringe at the other end of the feeding tube that is not visible on the video. Their formula is a complicated mixture of crushed and powdered insects and a homemade nectar base along with digestive enzymes, which they get from their parents naturally during feeding.

Posted by Raptor Education Group, Inc. on Wednesday, July 24, 2013

The video provides viewers with a rare site: baby hummingbirds in the act of feeding. They rest in their beautiful constructed nest and open their mouths wide as a caregiver feeds them a special formula of powdered insects and homemade nectar.

Hummingbirds’ natural diet consists of aphids, other insects, and nectar. The vital protein is exactly what the birds need, especially ones so young. Hummingbirds are a beautiful sight. One of the birds is already flapping its wings.  It’s a rare privilege to witness these hungry little chicks before they take flight.