Incredible Hummingbirds

It’s springtime here in Southern California and once again hummingbirds can be seen throughout the fields enjoying the flowers! These tiny birds are so amazing and it’s certainly a treat to have them out and about here on the farm.  Just the other day I got these great shots of a hummingbird completely absorbed in one of our hot pink grevillea flowers!

Yes, these birds are incredible! Check out these interesting hummingbird facts I came across while visiting www.howtoenjoyhummingbirds.com: 
  

• The hummingbird is the smallest bird and also the smallest of all animals that have a backbone. 
• A hummingbird has no sense of smell.
• Because the hummingbird can rotate its wings in a circle, they are the only bird that can fly forwards, backwards, up, down ,sideways and hover in mid air. 
• To conserve energy while they sleep or when food is scarce, they can go into a hibernation-like state (torpor) where their metabolic rate is slowed to 1/15th of its normal rate. 
• During migration, some hummingbirds make a non-stop 500 mile flight over the Gulf of Mexico. 
• During courtship dives a hummingbird can reach speeds up to 60 miles per hour and can average speeds of 20 to 30 miles per hour. 
• Hummingbirds are the second largest family of birds with 343 species. 
• Hummingbirds can beat their wings up to 80 times a second during normal flight and up to 200 times per second during a courtship dive. 
• The hummingbird has a heart rate that can reach up to 1,260 beats per minute. 
• Percentage wise, the hummingbird has the largest brain of all birds (4.2% of its total body weight). 
• Hummingbirds have very weak feet and use them mainly just for perching. 
• Hummingbirds are found only in North America and South America.