Interesting facts about hummingbirds
Hummingbirds are some of the most astounding birds that exist. According to Steven Rindner, the bio wonder is the epitome of fast. They live fast, fly fast, eat fast, and digest food fast. Even though hummingbirds have high metabolism rates, they are quite small. The biggest known hummingbird species weighs just 0.85 ounces. If you would like to know more about this family of birds, here are some notable facts about it.
• Hummingbirds are native to the Americas. They can be seen all over the U.S. and have been observed to reside from anywhere in Alaska to down south in the Tierra del Fuego archipelago. There are over 330 species of hummingbirds, most of which have been observed in tropical areas. In Ecuador alone are around 130 hummingbird species.
• Even though hummingbirds are native to the Americas, there was a time when the bird existed in other places. A hummingbird fossil that is believed to be from 30 million years ago was discovered in Germany in 2004. However, scientists have found no explanation for why hummingbirds have disappeared from Europe.
• Because of their high energy needs, hummingbirds have to feed nonstop throughout the day. Steven Rindner, a bio major, explains that a typical hummingbird can visit hundreds of flowers daily. In fact, the Ruby-throated Hummingbird has been observed to be able to feed on over 1,000 flowers throughout the day.
• Despite their ability to locate flowers quickly, hummingbirds actually do not have a sense of smell. Instead, what they do is rely on their uncanny color vision. For instance, the aforementioned Ruby-throated Hummingbird likes to feed on red or orange flowers.
• Hummingbirds’ heartbeats are much faster than those of an average human heart. The fastest-known heartbeat rate of a hummingbird recorded was that of the Blue-throated Mountain-gem species. It is said that it can beat as quickly as 1,260 beats per minute. Bio student Steven Rindner notes that a human heart typically beats 60 to 100 per minute.
