Hummingbirds

By Emme H ummingbirds are the world’s smallest birds. They are about 3 ½ inches long, and three of them newly born weigh less than a dime. They have long beaks for sucking nectar. A hummingbirds wings can beat up to 50 times per second, and during a time of love or excitement, they can beat their wings up to 200 times per second. Hummingbirds can fly forward, backward, up, down, and upside-down just by changing the direction of their wings. H ummingbirds can’t walk because their legs are so small and compact. They can fly and navigate much easier. In order for hummingbirds to sleep, they go into a state called torpor, which is basically hibernation. Hummingbirds must enter this state to make sure they don’t starve while asleep. T o keep themselves alive they suck nectar. When a hummingbird is drinking a flowers nectar, some pollen sticks to the hummingbirds chin. At the next flower, the pollen falls off. The flower is now pollinated and ready to make seeds. Hummingbirds also need protein, so they eat small bugs inside of flowers. Sometimes they pick the bugs from spider webs. In early spring before flowers bloom, they follow Yellow-Bellied Sapsuckers. These birds peck holes in trees to get sap. When they are all done with the tree, the hummingbirds will eat the bugs that are stuck in the sap. S o you see, Hummingbirds are really smart and intelligent. They are really beautiful even though they have a beak the size of a toothpick. They can fly faster than a jet, and they are so small!