Hyperglycemia in hummingbirds and its consequences for hemoglobin glycation

Abstract

We measured levels of glucose and glycated hemoglobin in the blood of three of the world's smallest nectarivorous birds, the Anna's (Calypte anna), Costa's (Calypte costae), and ruby-throated hummingbirds (Archilochus colubris). Plasma glucose levels of hummingbirds that were fasted overnight (17 mM) were higher than those in any mammal and are among the highest ever measured in a fasting vertebrate. Glucose levels in hummingbirds just after feeding were extreme, rising as high as 42 mM. The surprisingly high blood glucose concentrations in hummingbirds were accompanied by glycated hemoglobin levels that are the highest ever measured in birds but are lower than those of non-diabetic humans. How hummingbirds tolerate blood glucose levels that cause serious neurological and microvascular pathologies in diabetic humans and animals remains unknown.