Fun Facts About Hummingbirds

More than merely the tiniest birds in the world, hummingbirds are fascinating creatures. How much do we actually know about them other than the fact that they are nature's little helpers? These hummingbird facts can teach you more about these small critters.


1 - One of the tiniest species is the black-chinned hummingbird.

Hummingbird

Hummingbirds are typically already quite small. The smallest species, though, is the black-chinned hummingbird. These tiny birds stand out thanks to their distinctive shades of purple, green, and black. Black-chinned hummingbirds regularly perch on barren branches as they fly from the western coast of the USA to Mexico.


2 - Hummingbirds can migrate whether it is day or night.

Hummingbird

Hummingbirds typically consume a lot of food in the morning. Hummingbirds may, however, search and eat at night in areas with artificial light, such as porch lights, especially in the warmer months. Hummingbirds can fly at any time of day when they are migrating.


3 - The only birds that can fly backwards are hummingbirds.

Hummingbird

The majority of birds can fly forward, but only hummingbirds have the ability to fly backward. It's all due to their fast wing beats, distinctive wing patterns, and ball and socket shoulder joints. The shoulder sockets of hummingbirds enable their wings to swivel 180 degrees in every direction, including backward. Additionally, while flying, this bird's wing beats clock-in at about 70 times per second. Its strong and steady backward motion is made possible by its speed. When a hummingbird is hovering, its wings rotate in a figure-eight pattern, and when it is flying, they rotate in an oval pattern. Hummingbirds are able to shift directions swiftly and easily thanks to this trait, which gives their wings more lift.


4 - Each day, hummingbirds explore hundreds of blooms.

Hummingbird

Hummingbirds require a lot of energy. They eat frequently throughout the day in order to maintain their metabolism. For instance, the Ruby-throated Hummingbird can visit over 1,000 blooms every day and consume up to half its body weight in nectar from sunrise to sunset. Although flowers are their primary food source, hummingbirds also "pay back" many plants by helping with pollination. Numerous different plants, including many wildflowers that might help weak soils recover after fires and landslides, are pollinated by them.


5 - How quickly can hummingbirds flap their wings?

Hummingbird

The huge hummingbird's wings beat as slowly as 12 times per second, compared to the other hummingbird species' range of speeds. For the human eye, many species' wings appear blurred because they beat between 50 and 80 times per second. But for a hummingbird, that's really slow! Wings can flap up to 200 times per second when an animal is diving.


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Hummingbird Facts

Hummingbirds hang themselves upside-down as they enter a torpor state. A sleeping hummingbird may appear to be dead to onlookers since it is unlikely to awaken even if touched. A hummingbird typically emerges from its torpor stage between 20 and 1 hour later.


7 - The tiniest warm-blooded creatures on the planet are hummingbirds.

Hummingbirds

Hummingbirds lack the insulating feathers often found in birds, making them the tiniest warm-blooded animals in the world. By lowering their internal thermostat at night, hummingbirds have developed a special strategy for preserving enough energy to withstand frigid nights.


8 - Hummingbirds are able to identify previously visited flowers.

Hummingbird

One of the smartest bird species is the hummingbird. They have a huge brain compared to their body size; it weighs about 4.2% of the hummingbird's entire body weight. Hummingbirds can distinguish between new flowers and those they have already visited as a result.


9 - What is the origin of the word "hummingbird"?

Hummingbird

Aristotle's Greek term for a little bird gives rise to the name of the hummingbird family, Trochilidae. Even that tiny creature, a fluffy ball that weighs between 8 and 12 grams, appears like a behemoth in comparison. The bee hummingbird of Cuba, which weighs only 1.6–1.9 g, is the smallest hummingbird at 2.5–6.5 g in weight.


10 - How many different species of hummingbird exist?

Hummingbird

Over 350 different species of hummingbirds have been identified, and more are being discovered every year. Another two hummingbird species that were once known have disappeared since their discovery in the 19th century. The Trochilidae is the family that includes hummingbirds.

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