Top 10 Incredible Hummingbird Facts
A Hummingbird’s Heart Is Huge for Its Body:The hummingbird’s heart makes up about 2.5% of its total body weight. By comparison, that’s about 10 times the percentage for humans.
Hummingbirds Are the Smallest Birds Worldwide:The Bee Hummingbird is the tiniest bird known to man, with a length of just 2.25 inches (5.7 centimeters) and a weight of 0.07 ounces (2 grams).
Hummingbirds Are the Only Birds That Fly Backward:Hummingbirds’ shoulder sockets allow their wings to move 180 degrees in all directions, including backward. In addition, this bird’s wing beats clock-in at around 70 times per second while flying.
Hummingbirds Don’t Live in the Eastern Hemisphere:There are nearly 340 hummingbird species in the world, but none of them lives in the Eastern Hemisphere. Instead, the vast majority of hummingbird species (more than 320) live in the Western Hemisphere.
Hummingbirds Are Nasty Neighbors:They will swoop down and attack other hummingbirds that come into their personal space. Hummingbirds also chase away other birds, insects, and even mammals that come too close to their feeding areas.
Hummingbirds Nearly Starve Every Day:This constant state of near-starvation is because hummingbirds burn up so much energy so quickly that they must eat every 10-15 minutes. If they don’t, they will die.
Hummingbirds Steal From Spiders:The hummingbird loves to steal silk from spider webs. Why? Because hummingbirds use these sticky webs to build their nests. The female will line her nest with sticky silk, which helps to keep the eggs safe and secure.
Hummingbirds Outpace Space Shuttles: its speed is just over 200 BL/s. However, a diving hummingbird flies up to 385 BL/s! The speed of a diving hummingbird also outpaces a fighter jet, which flies at about 150 BL/s.
Hummingbirds Drink Their Dinner: hummingbirds visit up to 2,000 flowers per day to find and eat all of that nectar. Second, a hummingbird has a long beak and tongue that helps it reach the nectar deep inside blooms.
A Hummingbird’s Tongue Coils in Its Skull and Works Like a Sponge:The tongue of a hummingbird is almost as long as its beak. But its tongue doesn’t stay stretched the length of its long beak when not in use.