Skip to main content

A hummingbird's heart can beat up to 1,260 times a minute!

Did you know that a hummingbird's heart can beat up to 1,260 times a minute?  This is to sustain its rapid and prolonged activity level.

Hummingbirds can hear and see better than humans and have little to no sense of smell. They only weigh as little as a penny or as much as 10 pennies, considering that a penny weighs only 2.5 grams.

Hummingbirds on average are 8.5 centimeters in length, making them the tiniest birds in the world. Their hearts weigh 2.5% of their total body weight; the brain represents 4.2%.  They are very smart birds- they can recognize all the flowers they have travelled to and how long each flower refills with nectar!

Hummingbirds have to constantly lap up flower nectar; if not, they can die from starvation, due to its high metabolic requirements (Their core body temperature is properly maintained from 105-109 degrees Fahrenheit!). They can live on average for 5 years but can exceed 10 years on few occasions.

The oldest recorded history of the hummingbird was noted by the Taino Native Americans during the time of Christopher Columbus' discovery of the New World.  They believed that the hummingbirds represented life on Earth and that the warrior hummingbirds were called Colobir, since they have a peaceful disposition, but will fiercely defend their territory.  This word, Colobir, is similar to the French word for hummingbird, or colibri.


Amazing hummingbird trivia
A colorful hummingbird drinking nectar from a receptacle!

 Some more interesting Hummingbird trivia facts:
  • Hummingbirds can be very colorful and are very fast; they can fly an average of 25-30 miles per hour and can flap their wings about 70 times per minute!  
  • They are the only bird to fly both forward and backward.
  • Hummingbirds have the least amount of feathers out of all of the birds; 1,000 to 1,500; the small amount of features make it easier for hummingbirds to fly.
  • During spring and winter migrations, the ruby-throated hummingbird can fly more than 500 miles across the Gulf of Mexico.
  • The smallest bird species in North America is the calliope hummingbird, which has a length of only 3 inches!
  • The smallest species of Hummingbird is the bee hummingbird, which has a length of only 2.25 inches and it native to Cuba.
  • 25 to 30 percent of a hummingbird's weight is represented in its pectoral muscles; these are the muscles that allow the hummingbird to fly efficiently.
  • Hummingbirds can quickly lap up the sweet nectar from flowers, in fact, 10 to 15 times a second!
  • The tongue of the hummingbird is unique; the edge of its tongue is like a vacuum, which sucks up nectar until its tongue.  The hummingbird is then able to swallow the nectar in one gulp.
  • A hummingbird's egg is as small as a jellybean!
  • Hummingbirds are not romantic birds; the male will mate with any female hummingbird within his territory, while the female hummingbird will build the nest, warm the eggs, and care for her babies all by herself.  That is a lot of work for a small bird!
  • Hummingbirds can only be found in the Western Hemisphere, spanning from southeastern Alaska, in North America, all the way to southern Chile in South America!



Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sesame Street was almost called 123 Avenue B!

Did you know that Sesame Street was almost called 123 Avenue B?  Producers could not use 123 Avenue B, since this was a real New York City street, so the famous Sesame Street name took its place. Sesame Street was able to broadcast on November 10, 1969 on the PBS channel, due to a series of grants totalling eight million dollars.  At first the actors and puppets acted separately, but producers had noticed this and had everyone interacting together.  As a result, there was a lot of positive feedback from families across the world. Some of the show's famous muppets, such as Big Bird, Oscar the Grouch, Bert and Ernie, the Cookie Monster, Kermit the Frog, and The Count, have entertained millions of people over the years. An adorable photo of various Sesame Street characters, such as Big Bird and Grover! Some interesting Sesame Street Facts: Ernie's Rubber Duckie 1970 song had reached number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 Big Bird is an incredible 8 feet ...
Post a Comment
Read more

There are turquoise McDonald's arches in Sedona, Arizona!

Did you know that there are turquoise McDonald's arches in Sedona, Arizona? The reason that the arches are blue instead of yellow is because the town did not want to ruin the surrounding desert landscape with a ostentatious yellow logo. The turquoise McArches blend in perfectly with the adobe restaurant; tourists from all over the world come to Sedona to take photos next this fascinating logo. Sedona became an incorporated city in 1988, and a McDonald's franchise owner wanted to open up a McDonald's there a few years later.  He met with the Community Development Department and together they decided for the McArches to be turquoise. McDonald's had opened for business in May of 1993 and the rest is history! Beautiful turquoise McDonalds Arches in Sedona, Arizona!                               Some more interesting McDonald's restaurant facts: The first food item on the McDonald's menu was no...
Post a Comment
Read more

A strawberry is the only fruit with the seeds on the outside

Did you know that the strawberry is the only fruit with seeds on the outside?  Strawberries have 200 seeds on average embedded on its skin and are considered a member of the rose family. Ounce for ounce, strawberries have slightly more vitamin C than oranges.  Strawberries also contain high levels of Vitamin K, fiber, folic acid, amino acids, and potassium. Large red and juicy Strawberries! Some more interesting Strawberry facts: The ancient Romans once believed that strawberries had special powers, from stopping fever, eliminating kidney stones from the body, and curing depression! Strawberries contain high levels of nitrate, which widen the blood vessels in the human body, so that oxygen and blood can effectively flow to the muscles.  Americans on average eat 3.5 pounds of strawberries a year. There is a folk lore in Bavaria, Germany, that elves love strawberries. Therefore, the people would tie baskets of strawberries to cattle horns so that ...
Post a Comment
Read more