Hummingbirds in Machu Picchu

The Inca trail to the citadel of Machu Picchu is a spectacular way to see history and nature on its way. Few know that the Inca Trail is home to around 200 species of birds and among them there are more than 30 types of hummingbirds, which amaze visitors with their various colors and peculiar way of flying. Happy Peru Tours shows you this great diversity of avifauna that you can find on the way to Machu Picchu.

Picture: Hummingbird in fly

What birds can I see on the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu?

We have the classic Inca trail and the Inca Jungle as the main treks to reach the citadel of Machu Picchu. In both walks you can be accompanied from the 1st day by more than 200 types of birds that will be distributed depending on the altitude floor.

Some of the bird calls you can hear include Andean ducks, parakeets and hummingbirds. The latter have the characteristic of being iridescent due to their peculiar colors, hence they have many legends and have been frequently represented on Inca pottery.

Some other birds that can be seen in these sections are: falcons, canasteras, partridges, white-necked quail, parrots, white swallows and parakeets.

Inca Trail and Hummingbirds

The Inca trail to the citadel of Machu Picchu is one of the most visited tourist areas in Peru, due to its rich architecture, history and natural beauty. Within the great variety of birds that can be found, it is the hummingbirds or 'hummingbirds', which stand out for their special beauty, having around 30 species and among them 2 are endemic.

Best known hummingbirdss

Among the species of hummingbirds that can be found in the Urubamba valley are the puneño, decorated, mountain, giant and sword-billed hummingbirds. However, there are some that are much more difficult to find and require some patience and dedication to be able to take a good photograph of them, some such as the colicanela sicklebill, known for having a curved beak, racket hummingbird or leaf tail.

Some of the endemic species are: bearded mountaineer or doctorcito, due to the black plumage on the throat and white on a large part of the body. Another special species is the decorated hummingbird or cinnamon-colored sunbeam, which is brown in color with a white plume on its chest. It feeds on insects and nectar in the humid inter-Andean forests.

Spoontail Hummingbird

Many ornithology experts consider this species the most extravagant and beautiful in the world, it is an endemic bird belonging to the north of the Amazon jungle of Peru. Its scientific name is Loddigesia mirabilis.

The spatulate-tailed hummingbird lives between 2,000 and 2,900 m.a.s.l. and it has the characteristic of changing the color of its feathers from time to time. The most visible detail is the tail, which has feathers that are straight in the middle and are smaller, the other two feathers have a wide tip, open like rackets that cross each other, and end in a large disk of blue violet color that can move independently of its body, without a doubt a beautiful bird to appreciate.

Curiosities of hummingbirds

• The hummingbird is the smallest species of animal with a backbone in the world.
• They feed mainly on the nectar of flowers and insects, they must eat about 3 times their weight per day.
• They are the birds with the largest brain in the world, with respect to their body. They are very intelligent birds.
• His heartbeat can reach up to 1200 per minute.
• The average lifespan is 4 years and in captivity they can reach 16 years.
• The fastest wingbeat belongs to the Great Horned Hummingbird with 90 wingbeats per second. It is registered in the Guinness Book of World Records.
• The smallest in the world, which is the Cuban bee hummingbird, being in turn the smallest bird in the world with 5 to 6 centimeters and the largest is Patagonian gigas, with a size of up to 8 inches.
• The hummingbird is a bird with a big heart, 2.5% of its total weight. ❤

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