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Hummingbirds
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Hummingbirds have split tongues, which they fold into
a tube when feeding.
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A hummingbird's heart beats 1,260 beats per minute during
the day and slows to 50 beats per minute during the
night.
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Normal flight speed for a hummingbird is 25 to 30 mph,
but hummers can dive at speeds of up to 60 mph.
» Hummingbirds eat both
nectar and the small insects found near the nectar
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An average hummingbird consumes half its weight in nectar
each day.
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Hummingbirds can fly forward, backward, shift sideways
and stop in mid-air
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The Hummingbird is the world's smallest bird.
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Since hummingbirds are such competitive and solitary creatures, they
are not lifetime maters. Hybrid mating is relatively rare among hummingbirds.
It is often the female who begins looking for the male once she has
chosen a location for her nest and started to build it. Males attract
females by posing, flying in particular patterns and creating vocal
and wing sounds. Sometimes they dive toward females, or fly back and
forth before them, showing off the iridescence of their feathers.
The males also 'possess' territories rich in flowers and the females
gain an ample food source in exchange for offering the male sole paternity
rights. Intercourse is brief, though it may occur several times, but
never for more than one day. The birds can actually mate while in
mid-flight. Once the act has been completed, the female hummingbird
lays the eggs and then hatches them on her own. She usually chooses
a location that is not in a most favorable feeding area, opting for
peace and quiet, even if it means relying upon insects as the staple
of her diet. |
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| Bird rescue & bird adoption;
parrot refuge/rescue & placement for unwanted birds. |
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| Check out our list of local
birds broken down by your state and different types of
species. |
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| Migrating birds stay on track
because of chemical reactions in their bodies that are
influenced by the Earth's magnetic field... |
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Part
I
November
19, 2004