Fun Facts About the Hummingbird

Hummingbirds are often thought of as everyone's favorite backyard bird to watch. But even as loved as they are, many people don't really know very much about hummingbirds. For starters, did you know that there are over 330 different types of hummingbirds? Did you also know that they are the world's smallest birds? For those of you who would like to know a little bit more about hummingbirds, please read on for some fun facts.

Hummingbirds fly in a very unique method of rotating there wings. They have the ability to fly up, down, left, right, backwards, and even upside down! The average hummingbird flaps its wings at a stunning 50 flaps per second. In fact, the world's smallest bird (the bee hummingbird) can flap its wings at an astonishing 80 flaps per second!

Hummingbirds consume 2/3 of there body weight each day. In order to obtain the amount of nourishment they need, they eat an average of once every 10 minutes! Their diet consists of mainly sugar. This is obtained by consuming flower nectar and tree sap. However, hummingbirds do eat tiny insects and pollen on occasion. The weight of hummingbirds is between 2 and 20 grams. Now that's a small bird!

Hummingbirds live an average of 3 to 4 years. The longest recorded living hummingbird was 12 years old! They may live even longer! With the threat of pollution and global warming, it is sometimes hard for hummingbirds to find food. It also can inhibit their life expectancy. To keep hummingbirds around for a long time, get a hummingbird feeder to feed them with and better their chances of survival.

Those were some of the fun facts about hummingbirds that many people don't know. For more information, go online or check out a book on hummingbirds at your local library. With a little research, you can be on your way to becoming a hummingbird expert and having a greater appreciation for this tiny bird!