Hummingbirds
Hummingbirds symbolize joy, good fortune, resiliency, and recovery.
Native cultures across the Americas see that the symbol of the hummingbird brings healing to the suffering and gives good luck to hunters and travelers.
Fun Fact: Hummingbirds visit and pollinate 1,000 to 2,000 flowers a day.
What are Hummingbirds?
There are many types and species of hummingbirds, and all of them are native to the Americas.
Hummingbirds are pollinators and get their energy from the nectar inside of flowers. In fact, despite how well-known bees are for pollinating, hummingbirds are able to pollinate more flowers than even bees because of their long beaks.
Hummingbirds are also very small, they are on average 3-5 inches in length and weigh only a few grams.
Hummingbirds also have the fastest wingbeats of any birds at over 70 wingbeats per second which adds up to 4000 per minute.
Fun Fact: The name hummingbird comes from the humming noise their wings make as they flap.
Which are the most common?
If you do see a hummingbird in Ohio, you are most likely to see a Ruby-throated hummingbird, scientific name Archilochus colubris. This is because they normally migrate to the North in the summer.
Despite this, you can rarely find Rufous hummingbirds (Selasphorus rufus), Black-chinned hummingbirds (Archilochus alexandri), and Calliope hummingbirds (Selasphorus calliope) that have lost their way while migrating.
Fun Fact: Hummingbirds are the smallest migrating bird.
How to get hummingbird in your yard
Hummingbirds have a few things they like that can lead them to your yard.
A major thing is to have flowers, as they rely on flower nectar as a source of energy.
Another thing is to have is hummingbird feeders, as they can eat out of the feeders.
Hummingbirds like the color red, so if you want them to come, plant red flowers and get a red feeder.
Fun Fact: The average weight of a hummingbird is less than a nickel.
Where did they come from?
Hummingbirds are believed to have originated in South America after coming from Asia around 22 million years ago. Once they spread through South America, a few species began moving to Central America, then to the Caribbean, and finally to mainland North America.
Fun Fact: Hummingbirds are the only birds that can fly backward.
More facts about Hummingbirds
There are many types of Hummingbirds, and all of them are exclusive to the Americas. In fact, there are over 350 hummingbird species that are in the Americas.
Even though there are hummingbirds all across the New World, the majority of them are located in Central and South America.
Hummingbirds migrate across the Americas. During the Winter, they live in Central America and Mexico. Then, they migrate to the Southern United States to breed in the early spring. In later Spring they migrate to the Northern United States. By late Summer, they go back South to Mexico and Central America.