Researchers strapped tiny backpacks to hummingbirds to study migration and discovered the world’s largest hummingbird species is distinct from another type.
The world’s largest hummingbird has been hiding in plain sight for centuries — and scientists only discovered the species is distinct from another giant species after attaching tiny backpacks to hummingbirds to understand migration patterns. Along the way, researchers also identified the longest hummingbird migration journey, which spans a 5,200-mile round trip, or about the distance between New York City and Buenos Aires.
But it wasn’t enough to catch the birds, attach the backpacks and release them — the birds had to be recaptured for the team to collect the data. The researchers were able to retrieve data from eight of the geolocators by recapturing the birds using fine mesh nets called “mist nets,” commonly used by ornithologists, Williamson said. What the team discovered was that migratory southern giant hummingbirds are like human mountaineers.
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