Lelèmpëlis (Lenape for Hummingbird)

Happy National Pollinator Week! Pollinators are responsible for 1 out of 3 bites of food we take each day and are an essential part of our ecosystem.

For many people, bees are the most commonly thought of pollinators, but Lelèmpëlis (Lenape for Hummingbird) are just as buzzworthy!

There are more than 300 species of Lelèmpëlis and they are only found in the Western Hemisphere. In Winter, Ruby-Throated Lelèmpëlis are in Central America. The Aztec people recognized that hummingbirds (Huītzillin in Nahuatl) have the qualities of a good warrior and named their principal god after the bird: Huitzilopochtli.

In Spring, Ruby-Throated Lelèmpëlis migrate from Central America to their breeding grounds in Eastern North America. They are the only species of Lelèmpëlis that breeds in the Eastern US and the most common Lelèmpëlis species in Delaware.

Ruby-Throated Lelèmpëlis feed on insects and flower nectar. Some scientists believe that they co-evolved with a number of flowering plants. These birds can see the ultraviolet spectrum and are attracted to bright orange and red flowers. And the flowers’ tubular shape is also the length and shape of a Lelèmpëlis bill.

Honey bees get all the glory, but the Ruby-Throated Lelèmpëlis is just as efficient a pollinator as this bee! We appreciate the role that they play in our local ecosystem – and, of course, they are a *jewel* to see.

Sources: The Lenape Talking Dictionary, USDA, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Maryland Department of Natural Resources, National Park Service, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, US Mint, Rutgers University, Chesapeake Bay Program, Illinois Department of Natural Resources, American Bird Conservancy, Wild Birds Unlimited, Kansas State University, National Institute of Health, US Forest Service, Pennsylvania Game Commission, Delaware Online, Bird Watcher’s Digest, Association of Avian Veterinarians