14 Amazing facts about hummingbirds
- Hummingbirds are the tiniest birds in the world.
- A hummingbird will take about 250 breaths per minute while at rest.
- Hummingbirds have an average life span of about 5 years.
- 30% of a hummingbird’s weight consists of flight muscles.
- Hummingbirds need to eat on average 7 times per hour for about 30-60 seconds.
- A gorget is the patch of bright, flashing, colored feathers on the hummingbird’s neck.
- Hummingbirds have no sense of smell but can see farther and hear better than humans.
- Hummingbirds have very weak feet and can barely walk. They prefer to fly, and like to perch, spending most of their life perching.
- A hummingbird’s brain is 4.2% of its body weight, the largest proportion in the bird kingdom.
- Hummingbirds are the only birds that can fly forwards and backwards. They can hover in mid-air, fly sideways and even upside-down.
- Hummingbirds have tiny hairs on the tip of the tongue to help lap up nectar.
- Hummingbirds are very smart and they can remember every flower they have been to, and how long it will take a flower to refill. A hummingbird’s favorite color is red and they like tubular type flowers the most.
- Hummingbirds can see ultraviolet light.
- Hummingbirds lay the smallest eggs of all bird’s measuring less than 1/2 inch long.
Learn more different types of birds and their characteristics, here https://mocomi.com/types-of-birds/
wow this is amazing I learnt a lot!
Someone who has never seen hummingbirds before, can be overwhelmed by the dazzling display and the speed of movement of these tiny birds. Hummingbirds are among the smallest of birds, and also the quickest – flapping their wings 12-80 times in just a second. A hummingbird’s heart beats up to 1,260 times per minute to power their wings. They can even hover in mid-air, fly sideways and even upside-down. In order to do this they don’t flap their wings like a normal bird, but they rotate their wings in a full circle. It is great taking pictures of these hummers, they are so colorful, but they are a real challenge to capture in a photo.