Why Do Sunbirds Eat All Day?
Meet Loten. He is a long-billed sunbird. His feathers are purple and maroon.
The yellow and grey bird is his sister, Lily.
Sunbirds like Loten and Lily live in parts of India and Sri Lanka.
They are as long as a 100-rupee note and weigh as much as a ten-rupee coin.
Loten and Lily have curved beaks and tube-shaped tongues to gather nectar from flowers.
When Loten and Lily were babies, they had short, wide beaks so that their parents could feed them easily.
Their parents digested the food a little in their stomachs before feeding it to them.
When they grew strong enough, Loten and Lily learnt to fly.
They also had to learn to find their own food.
Loten and Lily get energy from what they eat and drink.
This energy allows them to use their muscles to fly.
Unlike us humans, Loten and Lily cannot store much energy in their bodies as fat.
They have to stay very light.
Otherwise, they will not be able to fly.
This is why sunbirds have to eat many times a day.
In fact, they spend most of their days flying around, looking for food.
Loten and Lily drink nectar from flowers.
They also like to eat insects and spiders.
Sometimes, they eat small, juicy fruit.
If you spot a bird like Loten or Lily in a garden or a park, take a peek at what they are eating!
Where Does Energy Come From?
Energy comes from food.
Animals, including humans and birds, need energy to stay alive. It allows our bodies to work and our brains to think.
Some birds have to eat every two hours, otherwise they wouldn鈥檛 have enough energy to stay alive.
Bigger animals, like adult humans, can survive about two months without any food, if they really have to. But to live well, we need to eat many times a day!
