Buzz
Certain subjects, like the nighttime routines of hummingbirds, might seem uninteresting at first. Yet, a mesmerizing YouTube video (think: utterly endearing) makes this topic worth exploring. The clip showcases a green female hummingbird in deep sleep, emitting a faint, high-pitched sound with each breath, giving the illusion that the tiny bird is ... snoring.
What’s really happening here? Do hummingbirds genuinely snore?
"Perhaps … in a way … but not for the same reasons humans do," explains Joe Hanson on his brilliantly titled blog, It's Okay to be Smart. While humans snore due to airway blockages during sleep, the reason behind this bird’s sound is far more fascinating.
The footage was captured at a research facility in Peru, where the hummingbird rested in a specialized chamber designed to monitor its oxygen consumption. This experiment aimed to study the metabolic rates of hummingbirds.
Hummingbirds flap their wings an astonishing 12 to 80 times per second, varying by species. To replenish the immense energy expended, they consume the equivalent of a refrigerator's worth of food daily. Unlike most birds, hummingbirds lack insulating feathers, making them highly susceptible to cold. To combat freezing temperatures, they enter a hibernation-like state called torpor at night. This condition drastically reduces their internal temperature and energy consumption by up to 50 times. "This ensures they conserve calories during cold nights when feeding isn’t possible," Hanson explains. Their brains slow down, and their breathing becomes so faint it’s nearly imperceptible. In torpor, hummingbirds sleep so deeply, they appear lifeless.
Emerging from such a profound hibernation isn’t instantaneous—it takes roughly 20 minutes. Their heartbeat accelerates, breathing normalizes, and shivering begins, which warms their muscles and boosts blood circulation. Hanson suggests the bird in the video is likely in the process of awakening, "inhaling more oxygen to elevate its body temperature," resulting in the "snoring" sound.
Let’s shift from science to fun! Here are some other animals that snore for your amusement.
A pig:
A bunny:
A dormouse:
A duck:
