I must have read the Legend of the Hummingbird as retold by Pura Belpré a million times to my students. However it was not until recently that I discovered that some species of the Hummingbird are diminishing. I fell in love with the magical bird in the story. I also gained a deep appreciation for the Hibiscus, the flower over which the hummingbird hovers in search of love. I am not sure what species the hummingbird in the story may have been but I felt compelled to look up more information about the possibility that some of the species are near extinction.
This saddened me. I learned that there are 27 species that are at risk of extinction. In the legend, the young Taino indian was turned into the hummingbird. He implored his god to transform him because he thought that he would never see his beloved again. She was turned into a red flower (hibiscus). To think that so many of these colorful birds would not only be destined to search for a lost love but that they may die in the process.
There are several organizations that now protect the numerous species of the at risk hummingbirds. Whether you call this bird a colibri as they do in Puerto Rico or the Honduran Emerald I would want people to become more aware of the beauty and magical qualities of any of these little birds. They are the smallest birds and they all live in South and North America. They deserve to be protected by us. Watch the video and you see what I mean. Read the story and I am sure that you too will be enchanted by the love story.
