New flat vinyl photo refrigerator magnet pictures a hummingbird:
" HOME IS WHERE THE HUMMINGBIRDS ARE. "
Hummingbirds are known for their small size and for hovering in mid air. They flap their wings up to 80 times a second, in fact, and are the only bird that can fly backwards, vertically and laterally. Like tiny helicopters. With so much energy used to fly, Hummingbirds spend 80% of their days sitting quietly.
They have long thin bills and a tongue that's perfectly shaped to suck nectar from flowers. They can also open their bills very wide so as to capture insects. Some species are as small as 2" and others as large as 8-1/2". Males are brightly colored and females less so. The most common color is green, with a rainbow of metallic colors on the head and breast.
Hummingbirds play an important role in pollinating tubular flowers such as Honeysuckle. They prefer flowers with a sugar content over 25%. For protein and other nutrients Hummingbirds rely on insects and spiders, eating many small meals during the day, consuming many times their own weight in nectar. Hummingbirds have an extremely high metabolism and fast heartbeat. That's why they must eat so frequently. They go into torpor mode at night, their heartbeats slowing from its daytime 1200 beats/minute to 50 beats/minute.
Hummingbirds are found only in the Americas, a majority in Central and South America.
