Hummingbird? You mean, the only bird that can fly backward? 

Mark Vincent Galdones

DID YOU KNOW? 

Hummingbirds, or Trochilidae, are any of the roughly 320 species of small, frequently brightly colored birds in the family Trochilidae. They are typically grouped with swifts in the order of Apodiformes, though they are occasionally given their mandate, Trochiliformes. The hummingbird, so named because of its wings' humming sound when it flies, is the only bird species that can fly backward, which comes in handy when consuming plant and insect nectar.

The 19th-century British naturalist John Gould gave many hummingbirds exotic common names, many of which are still in use, such as coquette, fairy, hill star, wood star, sapphire, topaz, sun gem, and sylph. These names were inspired by the brilliant, glittering colors and elaborately specialized feathers of many species, usually only of the males. The hummingbird is one of the few groups of birds known to enter a state of dormancy. A very low body temperature and a slowing down of metabolic processes characterize torpor's deep, sleep-like state. Hummingbirds can enter torpor any night of the year if the temperature and food requirements call for it. If torpor lasted extended periods, we would refer to it as hibernation.

Hummingbirds can only be found in the New World, and South America has the widest variety and highest species density. The United States and Canada regularly host about 12 species. Only the ruby-throated hummingbird (Archilochus colubris), which can be found from Nova Scotia to Florida, breeds in eastern North America. Hummingbirds are all tiny, and many of them are very small. Even the largest, the giant hummingbird (Patagona gigas) of western South America, is smaller than most sparrows at only 20 cm (8 inches) long and 20 grams (0.7 ounces) in weight. The bee hummingbird (Mellisuga, occasionally Calypte, or Helenae) of Cuba and the Isle of Pines is the smallest species and measures just over 5.5 cm, of which the bill and tail make up roughly half. This species, which ranks alongside pygmy shrews as the smallest warm-blooded vertebrate, is the smallest living bird and weighs about 2 grams. Hummingbirds have small, heavily muscled bodies and relatively long, blade-like wings that only articulate (connect) to the body, unlike the wings of other birds.

They are known for their ability to hover in mid-air by rapidly flapping their wings, which can beat up to 80 times per second. Hummingbirds are also important pollinators, with some species being able to feed on flower nectar while remaining stationary in the air.

Source/s:

BBC: Discover Wildlife. (n.d.). Hummingbird guide: Species facts and where to see. https://www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts/birds/facts-about-hummingbirds/

Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. (n.d.). What are hummingbirds? https://nationalzoo.si.edu/migratory-birds/hummingbirds

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. (2022, September 1). Hummingbird and their nature. https://www.britannica.com/animal/hummingbird 

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