These beautiful little birds have been entertaining us a lot lately, darting through our yard going after anything even almost red. As I was taking pictures this morning one buzzed right next to me. I think he was checking out my red t-shirt!
SOME INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT HUMMINGBIRDS
A hummingbird's brain is 4.2% of its body weight, the largest proportion in the bird kingdom.
Hummingbirds:
- are very smart and they can remember every flower they have been to, and how long it will take a flower to refill.
- can hear better than humans.
- can see farther than humans.
- have little to no sense of smell.
- do not drink though their beaks like a straw.
A Hummingbird's heart beats about 250 times per minute at rest.
A hummingbird's metabolism is roughly 100 times that of an elephant.
Hummingbirds have very weak feet and can barely walk. They prefer to fly.
Hummingbirds like to perch.
Hummingbirds spend most of their life perching.
Female hummingbirds are usually larger than male hummingbirds.
Females find iridescent feathers attractive.
Hummingbirds do not mate for life.
Male hummingbirds do not help raise the young.
Female hummingbirds do all the nest building.
A hummingbird baby is generally smaller than a penny.
Most hummingbirds die in the first year of life.
Hummingbirds have an average life span of about 5 years.
Hummingbirds can live for more than 10 years.
Hummingbirds are the only birds that can fly both forward and backwards.
Hummingbirds can also hover in mid-air, fly sideways and even upside-down.
A hummingbird:
- can fly an average of 25-30 miles per hour.
- can dive up to 60 miles per hour.
A hummingbird's wings will rotate in a full circle.
Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds have been known to travel 500 miles over the Gulf of Mexico to breeding grounds.
It is estimated that a Ruby-Throated Hummingbird takes about twenty (20) hours to fly across the Gulf of Mexico.
Some hummingbirds will travel over two-thousand (2,000) miles twice a year during migration times.
Hummingbirds need to eat on average 7 times per hour for about 30-60 seconds.
Hummingbirds:
- can eat anywhere from half (1/2) to eight (8) times its body weight a day.
- will visit an average of 1,000 flowers per day for nectar.
- eat small soft bugs for protein.
Early Spanish explorers called hummingbirds flying jewels.
source -
Worldofhummingbirds.com
Linking with Wild Bird Wednesday
