Page 26 - World of Animals - Issue #31

Ruby-throated hummingbird

A need to feed

It’s nearly impossible to see a hummingbird’s wings consuming double its body weight in nectar, alongside
moving – they move so fast that they blur before your feeding on insects picked from the air. They need to feed
eyes. In normal flight, the tiny wings beat around 53 times every ten minutes or so, and their huge energy output
every second and during courtship males are able to beat means they could starve to death without food in just a
their wings up to 200 times per second. couple of hours. BELOW
To support this level of activity, their metabolism is in In order to make it through the night without starving, Hummingbirds
need to feed every
overdrive and their heart rate can be up to 600 beats per the bird enters a low-energy state called torpor, similar to ten minutes due to
minute. This high-energy lifestyle means that the birds hibernation. The body temperature halves and its heart the huge amount
need to feed continuously. Every day, each ruby-throated rate slows right down. By entering this state of forced of energy they
expend beating
hummingbird visits hundreds of flowers, sometimes fasting, they are able to limit their energy expenditure. their wings

Favourite
flowers

Ruby-throated hummingbirds
head for boldly coloured petals

Trumpet creeper

Cardinal flower

Beebalm

Honeysuckle

Columbine

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