![]() Birds have been missing this gene since they diverged from the non-avian dinosaurs (even hummingbirds are in fact dinosaurs). So they have taste buds, and their taste buds work!īefore I get to the mechanism by which hummingbirds detect sucrose, I should tell you that all birds are missing the only known gene responsible for tasting sweetness (the one that is used by most other vertebrates). At this concentration, hummingbirds can tell the difference between sucrose concentrations differing by just 1 percent. Flowers visited by hummingbirds in the wild contain sucrose concentrations ranging from 7 percent to 60 percent, but they most commonly contain about 24 percent sucrose, which is also the concentration suggested for filling artificial feeders (one-quarter cup white granulated sugar thoroughly mixed into 1 cup of water, no dye or coloring needed). It is well known that hummingbirds prefer more concentrated nectar, but only very recently have we discovered how they can tell if a flower or feeder has the good stuff (i.e. Great question! The short answer is yes, hummingbirds have taste buds - just not the ones you think. ![]() Do hummingbirds have taste buds? What, if anything, do we know (and how can we, if at all) about how they experience the sweetness of the nectar they imbibe? -Sarah Rabkin, Soquel, CA
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |