Minus 4: Sitting Tight
This female Ruby-throated Hummingbird is sitting tight! She must incubate her eggs for about two weeks. In a
Michigan study, female hummers spent about 75% of the daylight hours incubating, and slept on the nest at night.
What do you think female hummers look at and think about while incubating? What would YOU look at and think about
if you had to sit in a nest on a tree branch most of the day?
Q: In Lansing, Michigan on June 1, the sun rises at about 6:02 a.m.
EDT and sets about 9:09 p.m. EDT. So
about how much time does a female hummer spend incubating her eggs
on June 1 in Lansing? (Answer below photo.)
A: On June 1 in Lansing, Michigan, the sun rises at about 6:02
a.m. EDT and sets about 9:09 p.m. EDT. Daytime in Lansing on June 1
is 15 hours and 7 minutes, and the mother spends about 75% of the daylight
hours incubating, plus she sleeps on the nest at night. Seventy-five
percent of daytime is about 11 hours and 20 minutes. Nighttime lasts
8 hours and 53 minutes. That adds up to a total of about 20 hours and
13 minutes incubating on June 1.
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