Besides nectar, Hummingbirds consume protein in the form of insects which they find inside flowers, on plants and in trees, in spider webs and in midair as they travel through your yard. Consider that when using pesticides in your yard and gardens. Hummers also drink water.
Hummers feed 5 – 8 times an hour.
Hummers have the greatest energy output, gram for gram, of any known warm-blooded animal. If your sugar water freezes, replace it immediately (even at dawn). They rely on established food supplies.
A Hummingbird’s wings can beat 200 times per second during courtship!
A Hummingbird’s tongue is roughly twice the length of its beak. It licks the nectar. (Approximately 13 licks per second!) You might see its beak and think that it can’t reach the nectar in the bottom of the feeder. Look closely with binoculars to see the tongue.
The Bee Hummingbird is the smallest hummingbird in the world at 2 inches long, weighing 1-15th of an ounce!
Under no circumstance should insecticides or other poisons be used at Hummingbird feeders.
By: Droll Yankees
