Hummingbirds
Hummingbirds are a diverse family of over 300 species. They have feet so tiny that they cannot walk on the ground, and find it awkward to shuffle along a perch. Hummingbirds eat nectar for the most part, although they may catch an insect now and then for a protein boost. Their super fast wing beats use up a lot of energy, so they spend most of the day sitting around resting. To save energy at night, many species go into torpor.
Genus
Loddigesia
Marvellous spatuletail (species)Oreotrochilus
Andean hillstar (species)
Earth News
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Hummingbirds 'faster than jets'
Male hummingbirds, swooping in an effort to impress females, achieve speeds "faster than fighter jets", according to a study.
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A marvellous hummingbird display
The amazing mating display of the marvellous spatuletail hummingbird has been filmed in full for the first time.
About
Hummingbirds are birds comprising the family Trochillidae. They are among the smallest of birds, and include the smallest extant bird species, the Bee Hummingbirds. They can hover in mid-air by rapidly flapping their wings 12-90 times per second (depending on the species). They can also fly backwards, and are the only group of birds able to do so. Their English name derives from the characteristic hum made by their rapid wing beats. They can fly at speeds exceeding 15 m/s (54 km/h, 34 mi/h).
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Elsewhere on the web
- Trochilidae (animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu)
- The hummingbird family (creagrus.home.montereybay.com)
- Identifying hummingbirds (hummingbirdworld.com)
- Hummingbird photo gallery (birdsinfocus.com)
- Hummingbirds of North America (hummingbirds.net)
- Hummingbird (wikipedia.org)
Site links
BBC links
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