The Beautiful Hummingbird

One of the tiniest birds around is the hummingbird. From the tip of its beak to its tail, it spans about three and a quarter inches. And it hardly weights anything at all.

Most birds will feed by either alighting on a branch and searching for insects in the tree or landing on the ground and foraging amongst the insects and plants found there. Hummingbirds, on the other hand, are most noted for its ability to feed in the air as it hovers above plants containing nectar. It uses the amazing speed of its wings, which beat at around 55 times per second, to remain in a stationary spot above or adjacent to the plant.

As you might imagine, all of this hovering takes a tremendous amount of energy and exertion. In fact, with a resting heartbeat of more than 600 beats per minute, which can go to over 1,000 beats per minute during high speed activity, hummingbirds have one of the highest metabolic rates of any birds. And this metabolic rate is one reason why, during the day, humming birds are always constantly feeding. As nighttime approaches, their metabolism gradually slows down allowing them to get a good nights rest. If not for this quirk of evolution, the hummingbird could not survive as it would have to feed 24 hours a day.

Hummingbirds are of great use to many plants who take advantage of the hummingbird's eating habits in the form of pollination. As the hummingbird flits from flower to flower, pollen from one plant sticks to the bird's bill. It is then carried along on the base of the bill until the bird reaches the next plant where it may be deposited. And since they feed so much, hummingbirds greatly help to speed along the pollination process.

Many people are attracted to humming birds by their colorful red and green plumage and frenetic activity. They are one of the more interesting birds to observe as they feed. In fact, many homeowners try to attract them to their garden areas by populating their gardens with bird feeders designed specifically to attract hummingbirds. Instead of flower nectar, homeowners will either buy or create their own nectar. Other homeowners, especially those who love plants, will simply plant flowers that hummingbirds will be naturally attracted to such as black locust, jewelweeds, and others.

It may take a while to initially attract hummingbirds to your garden. But, once they find either your feeders or your plants, you can be sure that they will visit your garden often.