Animal Lover Grace Tran Writes...

They’re Fascinating, Amazing, and Colorful, They’re…

Have you ever heard of a bird that flies backward, forward, and even hovers?  Well, today’s your lucky day, because you’ll learn about… HUMMINGBIRDS!  These miniature creatures get their name from the humming sound from their wings.  They moves fifty times per second, cool, right?! 

Hummingbirds feed on insects and nectar, so it’s important that they can fly backward.  First, a hummingbird deftly pokes the flower with a thin, needle-like bill, which varies in size depending on the bird.  Next, it extends its ultimate extendible tongue.  Due to the speed of its wings, in order to obtain enough energy, a hummingbird must eat continually. An ordinary hummingbird can eat up to 50-60 meals a day.  If a human ate that much, he would be eating 275 hamburgers a day!

There are about 300 different species of hummingbirds, and all are found in the Western Hemisphere.  Most are found in South America, but hummingbirds can be found all the way up to Alaska.  The hummingbird tree contains the smallest birds in the world.  Each about 2¼ inches to 8½ inches.  A majority of hummingbirds are metallic green. The throat of a male of a male hummingbird is usually ruby, blue, or emerald green. Most people would think of the males as the biggest, however, the females are actually the biggest ones. 

During courting time, male hummingbirds flaunt their colors and throw a fancy flying show to the females.  After the two hummingbirds mate, the female makes a nest using plant fibers, and spider webs.  She then covers the nest with lichens for camouflage.  A while later, she gives birth to two featherless baby birds. 

To conclude, I think that hummingbirds are really fascinating, amazing, and colorful creatures.  They eat gigantic meals for their size, are the smallest bird species in the world, and have beautiful colors.  I would love to see a hummingbird in real life and watch one fly backwards, forward, and hover.