Andes Highlands
Amazon RainforestNo. 04 of 12Hummingbird
the speedy one
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Jempe, the hummingbird who brought fire
The Shuar people tell that, long ago, the forest was cold and people had no fire. Only Takea had it, and he kept it jealously in his cave, sharing it with no one.
Jempe the hummingbird, small, fast and clever, felt compassion for the Shuar and decided to help them. On a day of pouring rain, he let himself get soaked until he was shivering by Takea’s cave. Takea’s children saw the wet, colourful little bird and secretly brought him close to the fire to dry.
While the children played with him, Jempe set his feathers alight in the flames and shot off like lightning into the forest, carrying the fire with him. At last the Shuar could warm themselves and cook. For them, the hummingbird is linked to Etsa, the sun, and to the fire of the home.
“He set his feathers alight and shot off like lightning, carrying the fire.”
Told by: Shuar people, southern Ecuadorian Amazon
80 wingbeats
per second (over 200 when courting)
Flies backwards
the only bird that can
1,200 heartbeats
per minute when active
Iridescent feathers
change colour with the light
Andes Highlands · Amazon Rainforest
It lives in two territories: the cloud forests, inter-Andean valleys and páramo of the Andes, and the Amazon rainforest, along rivers and forest clearings.
Fun facts
- Its forked, extendable tongue is perfect for nectar.
- In Kichwa it is called quinde.
