Female Hummingbird eating fire ash to get calcium for egg production

[Donkees]

Photo: Tony Markle

Hummingbirds Eating Ashes JAMES R. DES LAURIERS Department of Biology, Chaffey College, Alta Loma, California, 91737, USA

I report five observations of nesting female hummingbirds evidently eating the powdery, white component of wood ash. The observed species included Broad-tailed, Blue-throated, Costa's and Anna's Hummingbirds. Each bird was attending a nest. Males were never observed engaged in this behavior. Wood ash contains surprising amounts of Calcium in the form of CaO which comprises between 50-75% of the total ash. Lacking medullary bone, hummingbirds eating ashes may be replenishing Calcium lost to egg production.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/262376945_Hummingbirds_Eating_Ashes

Hummingbirds may need to replace electrolytes and minerals lost during daily diuresis and seasonal reproduction. Minerals such as calcium may not be obtained in sufficient quantities from a nectar-rich diet alone. We report observations of female Rufous Hummingbirds (Selasporus rufus) ingesting soil in western Oregon and review other known observations of hummingbirds ingesting mineral-rich compounds. We suggest these behaviors are the result of diet deficiencies of specific minerals, particularly calcium for nesting females.

https://www.jstor.org/stable/4514314

[AllaN01Bear]

1. did not know that.

[cyclonefence]

2. Absolutely fascinating

Thanks.

[Tetrachloride]

3. My family baked egg shells a bit and gave to the chickens

We crushed the egg shells a bit and tossed them in the pen.

It would be interesting to know if other birds were as thrilled.

[dickthegrouch]

4. I judged a science competition a few years ago

The students had to create a device to throw three chicken eggs at a target and have them stay without breaking. They were allowed quite a bit of latitude on how to protect the eggs.
One group went to an egg farm and asked if there was any way to harden the shells. They were told some of the hens were fed ground shells from shell fish especially oysters and clams. They bought a gross of the eggs and set to designing their apparatus.
I never found out the commercial reason for hardening the shells but their creative bending of the rules was only partially successful. As I remember only two of their eggs stayed on the test bed, one surface of which was slanted.

https://www.thetech.org/education/the-tech-challenge/past-challenges/

“Asteroids Rock” was the specific challenge I was part of the judging team for.