With all the big and shiny things that distract our gaze, we sometimes forget that this city is home to hummingbirds. Those miniature birds that in ancient times were bearers of good tidings or, in turn, spirits of warriors fallen in battle, still fulfill their mystical function and fly among the city's planters and parks to bring us the good news that we still live in a place with many possibilities of greening.
And beyond the mysticism that surrounds them, we must not forget that their presence is extremely important for the local flora. These birds are one of the many families of pollinators that help our lawns and flowerbeds to be filled with flowers during the different seasons of the year. In fact, it is thanks to the amount of colors in the gardens that we know of their presence, because, as we said, being tiny we do not always see them so easily.
The hummingbirds of Chapultepec
Despite the attempts -sometimes more harmful than anything else- of some people who put in their windows or ledges small drinking troughs for these birds; the best way to observe them is to get closer to their habitat or to spaces where they usually feel safer. After all, who likes to be dodging cars and noise all day long?
Fortunately, the city has different spaces that could be catalogued as bird-friendly in general. For example, we have the privilege of boasting that in the Chapultepec Forest alone we can observe 13 different species of these tiny birds flying among the ancient ahuehuetes that have lived there for centuries. In fact, just in June 2023 the last two species on the list were sighted: the pintail hummingbird(Tilmatura dupontii), a native species considered one of the smallest in the world, and the Mexican hummingbird(Selasphorus heloisa).
Both sightings occurred in the flower meadows of the Centro de Cultura Ambiental de Chapultepec and their presence makes us very happy, because the fact that they are flying around here not only gives a nice aspect to the native plant planters, but they are also a sign that, against all odds, the environmental conditions of the city are improving. At the end of the day, one way or another, it turns out that they are indeed the bearers of very good news.
How to observe hummingbirds in the CDMX?
For those who want to get to know the 13 species of hummingbirds, among which also stand out the gray-throated hummingbird(Selasphorus rufus), the white-eared sapphire or the scarlet-throated hummingbird(Archilochus colubris), which could well be the inspiration for Flint's character in Pocahontas, have to be attentive to the nets of the Chapultepec Forest, because at least twice a month, and if the weather permits, they have tours to see these and many other birds that live in the forest.
If you want to attend, all you have to do - besides periodically checking the Bosque de Chapultepec publications, of course - is to arrive early at the meeting point and wait for instructions.
We recommend that you bring an official ID to request the loan of good binoculars that will not only let us see the incredible species that live there, but also take a couple of photos to have testimony that if our city is greening and much of it is thanks to the work of these colorful pollinators.
