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Left Wing Skeleton (Left Wing Skeleton) of the Ruby-throated Hummingbird Archilochus colubris (Hedrick Lab UNC (Uncataloged Specimen))


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Phylogenic Position
Aves - Neognathae - Apodiformes - Trochilidae - Archilochus - Archilochus colubris
Species Description
The Ruby-throated hummingbird is native to Eastern North America and is a solitary species often exhibiting aggressive behavior. They are especially attracted to the color red and will approach red clothing; these hummingbirds are known to approach humans often. Ruby-throated hummingbirds tend to be defensive of their territories during feeding and breeding. On average, these birds weigh 3 grams and can reach 3.5 inches long. Their wing speeds range from 30 to 63 miles per hour, depending on their activity level. Ruby-throated hummingbirds lay 2 or 3 white, pea-sized eggs and can live 3 to 5 years. Ruby-throated hummingbirds also migrate yearly to the Central America area.
Specimen Information
Species Archilochus colubris (Ruby-throated Hummingbird)
Element Left Wing Skeleton (Left Wing Skeleton)
Specimen Number Hedrick Lab UNC (Uncataloged Specimen)
Sex
Location
Geological Age Recent
 
Technical Information
Scanner The HMXST Micro-CT x-ray Imaging System
Resolution 3 - 5 µm
Number of Data Points 1563412
Number of Data Polygons 780884
Date Scanned October 15, 2011
Scan Technician Ivo Ros
Edited By Ty Hedrick
 
Photographs


View All 1 Images

Download Digital Model Size
STL File Not Publicly Available 78.2 MB
Other Archilochus colubris (Ruby-throated Hummingbird) Elements
Specimen Element
Hedrick Lab UNC (Uncataloged Specimen) Left Carpometacarpus and Alula (fused hand and wrist bones (left))
Hedrick Lab UNC (Uncataloged Specimen) Left Humerus (Left Upper Arm Bone)
Hedrick Lab UNC (Uncataloged Specimen) Left Ulna (Lower Arm Bone )
Hedrick Lab UNC (Uncataloged Specimen) Furcula (Wishbone)
Hedrick Lab UNC (Uncataloged Specimen) Left Digit (Left Digit)
Hedrick Lab UNC (Uncataloged Specimen) Left Coracoid (Left Shoulder Bone)
Hedrick Lab UNC (Uncataloged Specimen) Left Metacarpus (Left Lower Arm Bone)
Hedrick Lab UNC (Uncataloged Specimen) Left Radius (Lower Arm Bone)
Hedrick Lab UNC (Uncataloged Specimen) Left Radiale (Left Lower Wrist Bone)
Hedrick Lab UNC (Uncataloged Specimen) Right Coracoid (Right Shoulder Bone)
Institution Data Use Policy

This partial wing skeleton from a female Ruby-throated hummingbird was created as part of a study of the hummingbird flight stroke (Hedrick et al., 2011). The bird in question weighed 3.43 grams, had a wing span of 10.7 cm and an exposed culmen length of 18.2 mm. The wing skeleton, extracted from a micro-CT scan of the bird, was posed to approximate the mid-downstroke configuration. Several bones in the scan are incomplete, notably the sternum and left scapula. Scans were performed at the Center for Nanoscale Systems at Harvard University, a member of the National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network (NNIN). Funding for this work was provided by National Science Foundation grants IOS-0923606 and IOS-0744056 to Bret W. Tobalske, Douglas R. Warrick and Andrew A. Biewener.

Hedrick, T. L., Tobalske, B. W., Ros, I. G., Warrick, D. R. and Biewener, A. A. (2011). Morphological and kinematic basis of the hummingbird flight stroke: scaling of flight muscle transmission ratio. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 10.1098/rspb.2011.2238

Specimen data for this specimen are provided under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license (CC BY 3.0)


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