How Humming Bird got its Name

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Hummingbirds are brightly coloured small birds, native to America. They are cute and fascinating birds. They belong to the family Trochilidae and there are about 360 species of Hummingbirds. These birds are found. a majority in the tropics. Hummingbirds have spectacular moves of flights. They can fly in all directions, fly forward, backward and also upside down. The birds can hover for a long period of time during their flight. 






                                                                Humming Bird

Hummingbirds produce pleasant humming sounds when it hovers over the flowers for feeding. The humming sound is generated when the bird's wings beat. That's how it got its name 'Hummingbird' and scientists have discovered that the hummingbird's hum originated due to the pressure difference between the top and undersides of the wings.  It's found that the primary source of the hum is the upward-lifting pressure difference.

Hummingbirds are migratory birds and the only bird that can fly backwards. They are amazing birds having long beaks and wings that help them to fly very fast. The bird can travel along for long periods and the smallest among the hummingbirds is the bee hummingbird. The weight of an average Hummingbird is around 4g and they come in different shapes and sizes. 


                                                   Hummingbird sucking nectar from flowers

Hummingbird's beak is long and slender which is adapted for sucking nectar from flowers. The sword-billed hummingbird has a beak that is longer than its body. They do not have a sense of smell but they have very good colour vision. The birds cannot walk, their legs are used for perching and they help the bird is moving sideways. They are very swift in movement. 

The nectar from the flowers is Hummingbird's main food and it also includes small insects and spiders. Hummingbirds suck nectar from the flowers by moving their tongue in and out of the flowers up to 20 times per second. They beat their wings at the fastest speeds. Hummingbirds are usually attracted to plants with bright tubular flowers that hold more nectar. They consume about half their body weight every day as they are always hungry.

                                                              Small  Cute Hummingbird

Hummingbirds migrate very long distances for their breeding grounds. Hummingbird nests are small tiny cup-shaped made up of plant fibres, lichens and moss and is attached to a forked twig or a large leaf.  The birds lay only two white eggs that are incubated for 15 to 20 days.  Hummingbirds life span is about 3 to 5 years. Some of them are known to live for 12 to 14 years in captivity.

Some of the common species of Hummingbird are the Rufous Hummingbird, Anna's Hummingbird, Calliope Hummingbird, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Ruby-throated Hummingbird and the Black-chinned Hummingbird. Many of the Hummingbirds are listed as either endangered or vulnerable.
Images Souce-Pixabay

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