Hummingbirds are known for their unique flying patterns and can traverse right, left, up, down, backwards and even upside down! They hover over their food source by flapping their wings in a figure-8 pattern at amazing speeds and in fact got their name as a result because of the buzzing or humming sound their wings make as they move, moving at an unbelievable speed of 80 beats per second! There are more than 325 different species of hummingbirds. Each bird has between 1,000 to 1,500 feathers, the fewest number of feathers on any bird species. The hummingbird is usually most colorful in its feathers near its throat area due to iridescence in their arrangement, moisture and the light level. On average, hummingbirds weigh about 3 grams, when a nickel weighs about 4.5 grams! They have great metabolisms because they consume about half of their weight in sugar daily and feed about 5-8 times an hour. Due to their light weight, the birds can fly at a speed of 30 miles per hour forward and 60 miles per hour on a dive. Also, despite their long beaks, hummingbirds have no sense of smell. Their eyesight, however, is particularly keen. Finally, dont let their minute size fool you, hummingbirds are some of the most aggressive birds out there, regularly attacking other birds like crows, jays and even hawks that enter their territory. :) :) :)
Posted on: Mon, 08 Dec 2014 12:05:52 +0000