1.The bee hummingbird is the SMALLEST SPECIES of all birds and measures only 2.25 inches long and weighs only 1.8 grams on average.
2. Hummingbirds have only 1,000-1,500 feathers, the fewest number of feathers of any bird species in the world.
3. Hummingbirds lay the smallest eggs of all birds. They measure less than 1/2 inch long but may represent as much as 10 percent of the mother’s weight at the time the eggs are laid.
4. An average hummingbird’s heart rate is more than 1,200 beats per minute.
5. Hummingbirds have no sense of smell but have very keen eyesight.
6. Hummingbirds are only birds that can also fly backwards.
7. There are more than 325 hummingbird species in the world.
8. A hummingbird’s maximum forward flight speed is 30 miles per hour, though the birds can reach up to 60 miles per hour in a dive.
9. A hummingbird’s wings beat between 50 and 200 flaps per second depending on the direction of flight and air conditions.
10. At rest, a hummingbird takes an average of 250 breaths per minute.
11. Hummingbirds do not suck nectar through their long bills, they lick it with fringed, forked tongues.
12. Hummingbirds are native species of the New World and are not found outside of the Western Hemisphere.
13. Despite their small size, hummingbirds are one of the most aggressive bird species and will regularly attack jays, crows and hawks that infringe on their territory.
14. A hummingbird’s brilliant throat color is not caused by feather pigmentation, but rather by iridescence in the arrangement of the feathers and the influence of light level, moisture and other factors.
15. Hummingbirds digest natural sucrose in 20 minutes with 97 percent efficiency for converting the sugar into energy.
