Hummingbirds are some of the most captivating birds in the world. They are known for their incredibly fast wing beats, their ability to hover in midair, their beautiful iridescent plumage, and their valuable role as pollinators. But one of the most striking things about hummingbirds is their nickname – “flying jewels.” So why are hummingbirds called flying jewels? There are a few key reasons.
Their Iridescent Feathers
One of the main reasons hummingbirds are referred to as “flying jewels” is because of their glittery, iridescent feathers. Iridescence is an optical phenomenon where feather structures cause light to reflect off the surface in shimmering, rainbow-like colors. It almost looks as if the feathers are made of precious metals or jewels. This iridescence is created by specialized feather structures – when light hits the feathers, it is both reflected and refracted by the complex internal structure of the feathers. As the hummingbird moves, the colors appear to shift and shimmer.
Different hummingbird species display different iridescent colors. For example, Anna’s hummingbirds have rose-pink colored heads and throats, Rufous hummingbirds have coppery-orange feathers, and Broad-tailed hummingbirds have bright emerald green backs. When the sunlight hits their feathers just right, they appear to glow as if embedded with valuable gemstones.
Their Jewel-Like Shapes and Sizes
In addition to their vibrant plumage, hummingbirds are also referred to as “flying jewels” because of their diminutive size and unique shape. Hummingbirds are the smallest birds in the world, with most species measuring only 3 to 5 inches in length. Their tiny size makes them appear delicate, precious, and jewel-like.
The silhouette or shape of a hummingbird in flight also lends itself to the “flying jewel” nickname. With their tapered beaks and rounded heads, hummingbirds have a teardrop-like shape when flying. This compact, streamlined shape allows them to dart swiftly from flower to flower. When hit with sunlight, their small form almost resembles a sparkling gemstone or piece of jewelry gliding through the air.
Their High Energy Antics
Another reason hummingbirds are likened to dazzling jewels is because of their seemingly high-energy, attention-grabbing antics. Hummingbirds have extremely high metabolisms – they must consume half their body weight in nectar each day, so they are constantly zipping from flower to flower to refuel. Their wings can beat up to 200 times per second, allowing them to abruptly change direction and dart about with lightning speed.
As they buzz around from bloom to bloom, aggressively defending their flower patches from intruders, hummingbirds put on quite an acrobatic display. Their fierce, energetic behavior combined with their glittering plumage makes them seem like living, flying gems fluttering through the air performing for onlookers.
Their Rarity and Unique Abilities
In many parts of the world, hummingbirds are rare, unique creatures not found in high numbers. This rarity adds to their allure and makes them seem more precious, much like a valuable gemstone. Though they are tiny, hummingbirds have several remarkable abilities that set them apart:
- They can hover mid-air by rapidly beating their wings forwards and backwards.
- They have the highest metabolism of any warm-blooded animal.
- They are the only group of birds able to fly backwards.
- They have the ability to enter torpor, a hibernation-like state, to conserve energy.
These unusual traits make people admire hummingbirds and see them as incredibly valuable despite their diminutive size. Their rarity combined with their unique adaptations gives them an air of exoticism and wonder.
Their Jewel-Inspired Names
It’s not just their appearance and behaviors that evoke comparisons to precious jewels – many hummingbird species’ common names directly reference gems and minerals. For example:
- Ruby-throated Hummingbird
- Sapphire-vented Hummingbird
- Ruby-topaz Hummingbird
- Garnet-throated Hummingbird
- Amethyst Woodstar
- Emerald-chinned Hummingbird
These colorful names help conjure an image of these tiny birds as living gems. When you hear their jewel-inspired monikers, it’s easy to picture them glittering through the air like sapphires, topazes, and amethysts brought to life.
Their Symbolic and Spiritual Meaning
Across many cultures, hummingbirds have taken on symbolic meaning and become spiritually significant. This adds to their reputation as special, highly-valued creatures, similar to precious resources like jewels.
For example, in Native American culture, hummingbirds represented joy and playfulness as well as loyalty, fidelity, and courage despite their small size. They were considered messengers who brought wisdom from spiritual realms.
In Aztec culture, hummingbirds symbolized vigor, energy, and war. They were linked to the gods of war and believed to convey the vital power of captured enemies to Aztec warriors.
People today often get hummingbird tattoos or ornaments to represent concepts like joy, freedom, positivity, luck, and perseverance. Hummingbirds’ spiritual symbolism enhances their mystique and adds to the perception of them being as precious as jewels.
Their Role as Pollinators
Though small, hummingbirds provide an extremely valuable ecological service – pollination. As they dart from flower to flower accessing nectar, pollen sticks to hummingbirds’ heads and bellies and is transferred from plant to plant. This allows plants to be fertilized and produce seeds and fruit. It also helps many wild plants and crops thrive.
Hummingbird-pollinated plants include:
Common Name | Scientific Name |
---|---|
Cardinal flower | Lobelia cardinalis |
Coral bean | Erythrina herbacea |
Fuchsia | Fuchsia magellanica |
Columbine | Aquilegia species |
Trumpet creeper | Campsis radicans |
Hummingbirds are essentially responsible for the reproduction of these and many other wildflower species. That makes them extremely valuable from an ecological standpoint. Their role as pollinators is another reason they are considered as precious as glittering gems.
Their Association with Jewels in Culture
The perception of hummingbirds as “living jewels” has permeated culture and art. Here are some examples of how hummingbirds have been depicted alongside or as jewels:
- The Aztecs portrayed their god of war, Huitzilopochtli, with a shield on his back containing a pattern of hummingbirds around a jewel.
- In the novel Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel, the main character bakes a cake decorated with edible hummingbirds made to look like emeralds and sapphires.
- The opera The Jewels of the Madonna by Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari features a symbolic hummingbird character.
- High-end fashion designer Carolina Herrera has incorporated bejeweled hummingbirds into her runway collections, further fusing hummingbirds with luxury.
By portraying hummingbirds alongside precious stones and metals in art, stories, and fashion, these examples showcase how deeply ingrained the “flying jewel” perception is. This cultural association strengthens the notion of hummingbirds being creatures of immense beauty and value.
Their Use in Jewelry
Not only are hummingbirds compared to jewels – actual hummingbird gems, parts, and motifs have been used in jewelry and accessories for centuries. Some ways jewelers have incorporated hummingbirds include:
- Using iridescent hummingbird feathers in pendants, earrings, and hair clips
- Taxidermying hummingbird bodies to use the whole bird as a jewelry embellishment
- Adorning jewelry with hummingbird motifs like filigree hummingbirds or hummingbird silhouettes
- Using the bright ruby gorgets (throat feathers) in rings, brooches, and necklaces
- Decorating jeweled tiaras and crowns with hummingbird figurines
This practice takes the “living jewel” concept one step further by literally transforming hummingbirds into dazzling adornments. The history of using real hummingbird parts for jewelry also reveals just how special and valuable people have considered these flying gems.
Conclusion
Hummingbirds are called “living jewels” or “flying gems” for many valid reasons. Their shimmery, iridescent plumage; their compact, delicate shape; their energetic behavior; their spiritual symbolism; their ecological importance as pollinators; and their role in art and jewelry have all contributed to this perception over time. To many cultures and people, hummingbirds represent all that is precious – beauty, spirituality, energy, freedom, life. Whenever these tiny dynamos zoom by like magical ornaments come to life, it’s clear why they have earned comparisons to Mother Nature’s most dazzling treasures.