Since last week, we’ve seen hummingbirds more regularly at our feeder. Perfect timing—on their part—as this is the rest-of-the-story DYK about hummingbirds.

Physical Traits

Hummingbirds have extraordinary senses and incredible flight skills. But one of its most important physical features is its brain. The part that remembers where and when it visited specific flowers, and the quantity and quality of those flowers’ nectar, is significantly larger than other parts of its brain. This makes them efficient feeders.

Hummingbirds have a good sense of smell (for their size) and good hearing, but their eyesight is exceptional. They see both visible and ultraviolet light, but see warm shades (oranges, yellows, and reds) better than cool colors (blues and greens). Until recently, this fostered the belief that hummingbirds preferred reds over other colored flowers. However, scientists now know the nectar’s richness is more important than the color of its source.

A hummingbird only uses its feet to perch, scratch, or build nests. They’re too small for walking, hopping, or launching into flight. Their wings do all that work. And what wings they are! When it comes to flying, the hummingbird is the most agile. Unlike other birds, they can hover, fly forward, backward, sideways, and upside-down. They’re the acrobats of the bird world.

Did You Know…

• During flight, a third set of eyelids (mostly transparent membranes) are drawn horizontally across the hummingbird’s eyes. This, as well as the eye’s orbital feathers acting as eyelashes, protect the bird’s eyes from foreign objects.
• The hummingbird’s order name is Apodiformes, meaning footless.
• A hummingbird doesn’t have knees, and its feet are almost invisible in flight.
• Hummingbirds are fast with an average forward speed of 25-30 mph. (Though some diving males can reach 55 mph or more.)
• Hummingbirds have no problem maneuvering, because like insects, their wings beat in a figure-eight pattern. But unlike other birds, their wings can’t be used to glide or soar.

Sleep

In Did You Know Hummingbirds Use Spiderwebs To Build Their Nests? we learned hummingbirds need to eat every ten to fifteen minutes to fuel their metabolism. At night they do sleep, but not what might be considered a “normal” sleep. Because their body’s metabolism is so high, hummingbirds need to turn it down and conserve energy. They do this by putting themselves into a deep, hibernation-like state called torpor. (Click here to watch a YouTube video to learn more fascinating torpor facts.)

Being in torpor leaves hummingbirds vulnerable. So, they pick their sleeping locations carefully. A mother hummingbird will sleep in the nest with her eggs or babies. Others may choose a tree or bush. Hummingbirds aren’t picky. Both natural and manmade structures work, as long as they provide protection, shelter, and a nearby food source.

Hummingbirds continue to burn energy while they’re sleeping—just not as much as during the day—so they need to eat as soon as they wake in the morning. Because of this, they may prefer sleeping in trees and shrubs that flower, like honeysuckle, redbuds, and crabapples.

Did You Know…

• Some hummingbirds prepare for bed before it gets dark while it’s still warm out.
• Hummingbirds sleep (i.e., go into torpor) in an upright position, but their balance may slip on a smooth surface. They don’t fall off because their claws are locked onto their perch, but they will spend the rest of the night hanging upside down.
• Some hummingbirds will sleep on hummingbird feeders, if they feel safe.
• In torpor, the hummingbird slows its metabolism down by up to 95%, by reducing its breathing, heartbeat, and body temperature.
• Waking from torpor can take a hummingbird twenty to sixty minutes.
• Hummingbirds consume 25% of the entire day’s food immediately upon waking.

Migration

While hummingbirds gather in large groups around feeders, they migrate alone. Twice a year, these birds cover great distances between their summer and winter homes. The most significant trigger to begin this migration is the day’s length.

Did You Know…

• The Ruby-Throated Hummingbird can travel non-stop across the Gulf of America (up to 500-miles) in 18-20 hours. There is no eating or resting on the trip. In preparation, they build up their body fat, adding 25-45% extra weight.
• The smallest long-distance migratory bird in the world, the Calliope Hummingbird, travels more than 5,000 miles round-trip each year.
• One of the longest migrating distances of any bird in the world belongs to the Rufous Hummingbird, flying each year almost 4,000 miles one-way between Mexico and Alaska. They travel a clockwise circuit, flying north up the Pacific Coast and returning south along the Rocky Mountains.

Summary

Hummingbirds play a vital role in the pollination of flowers. They race up and down the Americas every year, helping pollinate the flowers along their way. Unfortunately, the gradual loss of the hummingbirds’ natural habitats has seen some hummingbird species at risk of extinction. You can help them along their journey by hanging hummingbird feeders.

Did You Know…

• Laurence Webster created the first hummingbird feeder to attract the Ruby-Throated Hummingbird to his New England garden. National Geographic readers wanted their own feeders, and in 1950 the Audubon Novelty Company answered the demand. They called this first commercial hummingbird feeder the “Webster Hanging Feeder.”
• The Bird in my Backyard is a short (20 minutes) documentary of Eric Pittman as he filmed two hummingbird mothers in Esquimalt, British Columbia, in the spring of 2024. To watch this fascinating video, click here.
• By 2024, twenty-one hummingbird species had been listed as endangered or critically endangered.
• Some known hummingbird species have gone unseen for decades. Until 2015, the Blue-Bearded Helmetcrest was last seen in 1946.
• In 2017, researchers discovered a new hummingbird species they called the Blue-Throated Hillstar. It was found at over 12,000 feet on a few mountains in southwestern Ecuador. It surprisingly survives in a cold and oxygen-reduced environment.