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Mantises and Hummers



Before I ask my bird-related question let me describe the event that 
provoked it.

I have a perennial bed that is right outside my kitchen window and by 
this time in the year is looking rather ripe and full. There is a 
dahlia plant in it (Bishop of Llandaff) that has bright red flowers and 
attracts both butterflies and, for some reason, hummingbirds--though I 
never imagined that dahlias were particularly nectar-rich. It has also 
attracted a very large green Praying Mantis (or is it "Preying"?) that 
has lurked about in the dark red stems of the dahlia. I have often 
played hide and seek with this impressive insect and not given it any 
further thought--until today.

This morning, as I was watching a butterfly hover over a dahlia the 
Mantis reared up and jabbed it. It held it in its pincer-like front 
claws and started eating it from the end of its abdomen. As it chewed 
its way up the abdomen I could see the inside of its pink mouth; its 
grip was so tight that the poor butterfly had no chance, not only did 
its front claws hook over the butterfly's body , they even pierced its 
wings. The grisly thing about this was that the butterfly was alive 
pretty much the entire time as the Mantis fed on it--even as it chewed 
through the thorax and reached the head. Finally, in about 5 minutes 
the Mantis was done and the disembodied wings floated down into the 
shrubbery as the Mantis sat sated on the branch. It was a fascinating, 
if gruesome, show.

My question is about hummers. I remember reading that some early 
ornithologists in S America actually came across Mantises feeding on 
Hummers. But that was S America and the Mantises may have been larger, 
or the hummers smaller than our Ruby Throateds. Anyway, I really dont 
want to see a repeat of this drama with a hummer and am wondering if 
the Mantis poses any threat to the birds, especially these days as they 
come through in large numbers. Any suggestions or thoughts?

Shantanu Phukan
Carrboro