Hummingbirds in Aztec Culture: Warriors, Survivors, & the Namesakes of Gods & Kings
Hummingbirds, called huitzillin ("wee-TZEEL-een") in the Nahuatl language of the Aztecs, are one of the most recognizable and striking species in the avian world. While these pollinators are known in the Western imagination for their vibrant features, extreme metabolism, and diminutive size, the ancient peoples of Mesoamerica, particularly the Aztecs, identified these extraordinary birds with war, blood, and sacrifice.
Habitat, Physiology, & Behavior
The most notable physiological aspect of hummingbirds is their tiny, lightweight, and extremely maneuverable bodies. They are the smallest species of bird and, unsurprisingly, build the smallest nests. According to the Smithsonian National Zoo, the bee hummingbird weighs only 1.95 grams, and the ruby-throated hummingbird lays an egg only about the size of a pea in a nest made from plant matter and spider webs that is approximately the size of a walnut shell.
The most unique quality of these creatures, however, is their maneuverability. Hummingbird wing strokes are powerful when flapping both up and down, and they are the only vertebrates capable of hovering for long periods of time. Their wings, beating about 70 times per second in direct flight and 200 times per second during a dive, allow hummingbirds to fly upside-down as well as backwards. Quite literally zooming through the air, they can reach a maximum flight speed of 45 mph (72 km/h), making loud insect-like noises when they fly nearby. To power these amazing aerial feats, their hearts beat up to 1,200 times per minute while in flight, compared to about 225 beats per minute while at rest. By contrast, average adult humans have a heart rate of 60 to 100 beats per minute. Furthermore, hummingbirds are relentless in pursuing food resources, feeding on the nectar in flowers, bugs caught mid-flight, and, when they can get it, sap made available by woodpeckers. There are approximately 340 species of hummingbird, and all of them are native to the Americas.
Hummingbirds also make use of a unique survival adaptation known as torpor through which they adjust their metabolic functions, including heart rate and body temperature, to the minimum needed for survival. When in this state, a hummingbird might seem to be in a very deep sleep, somewhat like hibernation except that these birds can go into torpor any night of the year if conditions, for example food shortage or low temperature, make it necessary. Book 11 folio 24r of The Florentine Codex describes this as a process by which the hummingbird "inserts its beak into a tree; also grows feathers once again. And when it thunders for rain, at that time it awakens, moves, comes to life" (translated by Anderson & Dibble). Indeed, some hummingbirds hang upside down and might seem to shrivel as torpor reduces their bodily functions.
Despite their small size, hummingbirds have a reputation for fearlessness and aggression and are known to attack creatures many times their size. The Smithsonian National Zoo describes them as "pugnacious and feisty," and mid-air quarrels and high-speed chases are commonplace when multiple hummingbirds are in close proximity. Even during migration, hummingbirds sometimes defend a particular flower patch to secure food resources, with larger species trying to dominate the nectar supply and smaller species doing their best to sneak in for a sip.
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⇒ Hummingbirds in Aztec Culture: Warriors, Survivors, & the Namesakes of Gods & Kings
