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IamA hummingbird researcher. AMA!

Hi everyone, my name is Dr. Anne Houtman, and I’m an ornithologist whose research has focused on hummingbirds. I’m here to answer questions with help from Atlas Obscura.

My research has focused on the behavioral ecology of hummingbirds, focusing on sexual selection and male song. Hummingbirds are unique from other species in that some hummingbirds learn song, while others appear to lack this ability. My research focuses on how learned song in hummingbirds has evolved. (Fun fact: I once caught a hummingbird in flight out of the air with my bare hands.)

Additionally, I’ve conducted research on how best to teach science to non-scientists. I’ve also written two textbooks: I’m the first author of an environmental science textbook and a non-majors biology textbook. I was born in Kansas, and I moved to Hawaii at age 11. My first job when I was 16 was working at Hawaii’s Sea Life Park with baby sea lions and dolphins. I’m currently the Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology.

Proof: https://twitter.com/atlasobscura/status/979722252659937282

I’m looking forward to answering your questions!

EDIT: Heading out to a meeting now! Thanks for all the questions! Now that I’m an administrator I don’t get to talk about birds or my books very often, so this was so much fun for me!

Hadidjah

Posted 7 years, 10 months ago (Source)

Have you ever seen a baby hummingbird?? What are hummingbird nests like?

My stories are not nearly as cool or official as Dr. Houtman’s, but when I was a kid we found a baby hummingbird that had fallen out of her nest and none of us could reach it to put her back. So we took her home, fed her with an eyedropper, and she just lived in a blanket-nest and later our rafters until she got bored and moved out. She was teeny tiny and if you chirruped to her she would fly down and sit on your finger.

We also had a ton of old fallen nests - they are amazing little pieces of craftsmanship. As Housman said, they build them from filched spiderwebs (and, in my experience, lots and lots of loosely woven horse hair) so they grow with the babies, but they’re exceptional at camouflaging them too. They would always cover the outsides with flakes of bark, lichen, debris, etc. from the same or similar trees, “glued” to the spiderwebs, and so they just looked like little knots on the branches.:)

<blockquote class="quoted">
    <div class="md"><p>Have you ever seen a baby hummingbird?? What are hummingbird nests like?</p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<div class="md"><p>My stories are not nearly as cool or official as Dr. Houtman’s, but when I was a kid we found a baby hummingbird that had fallen out of her nest and none of us could reach it to put her back. So we took her home, fed her with an eyedropper, and she just lived in a blanket-nest and later our rafters until she got bored and moved out. She was teeny tiny and if you chirruped to her she would fly down and sit on your finger.</p>

<p>We also had a ton of old fallen nests - they are amazing little pieces of craftsmanship. As Housman said, they build them from filched spiderwebs (and, in my experience, lots and lots of loosely woven horse hair) so they grow with the babies, but they’re exceptional at camouflaging them too. They would always cover the outsides with flakes of bark, lichen, debris, etc. from the same or similar trees, “glued” to the spiderwebs, and so they just looked like little knots on the branches.:)</p>
</div> (<a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/88al7o/iama_hummingbird_researcher_ama/dwk6a9e">Hadidjah</a>)
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<p><div class="md"><p>My stories are not nearly as cool or official as Dr. Houtman’s, but when I was a kid we found a baby hummingbird that had fallen out of her nest and none of us could reach it to put her back. So we took her home, fed her with an eyedropper, and she just lived in a blanket-nest and later our rafters until she got bored and moved out. She was teeny tiny and if you chirruped to her she would fly down and sit on your finger.</p>

<p>We also had a ton of old fallen nests - they are amazing little pieces of craftsmanship. As Housman said, they build them from filched spiderwebs (and, in my experience, lots and lots of loosely woven horse hair) so they grow with the babies, but they’re exceptional at camouflaging them too. They would always cover the outsides with flakes of bark, lichen, debris, etc. from the same or similar trees, “glued” to the spiderwebs, and so they just looked like little knots on the branches.:)</p>
</div> (<a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/88al7o/iama_hummingbird_researcher_ama/dwk6a9e">Source</a>)</p>
    
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