Further observations of the nest revealed that female hummingbirds were added to hatched caterpillar camouflage by lining the nest with furry material from balsa tree seeds. Researchers also noticed that whenever they approach a nest and photographed, the chicks moved their heads upwards and began to sway to the side while their wings stood at the edge. It was trying to make it look threatening.
When the researchers retreated, the Hummingbird chick lay low in the nest, returning. They thought it might have been a real predator, but eventually they saw a wasp known to prey on young hummingbirds near their nests. The chicks acted the same as humans and managed to scare the wasps.
Fork determined that feathers, colours and headshaking were creepy similar to mus larvae of the Megalopigiidae and Saturnidae family, which are also endemic to the region. They may not be mirror images of a particular species, but they appear close enough to think that predators are being warned of themselves.
“When approaching humans and predatory hornets, the behavior of the white-necked Jacobin is similar to the sudden “thrashing” or “convulsion” behaviors that many caterpillars exhibit, including the habitat in which this bird was found,” he said. I said About the same study.
…I won’t do that now
Is there another explanation for this hummingbird cosplaying as a caterpillar? perhaps. Researchers believe that long feathers that appear to mimic spines may have evolved into a form of Crypsis. The balsa wood material, which resembles feathers, clearly helped with this.
