by Lisa Freeman

Frequent Flyers

Do you ever wish you could fly? How about flying to different places without ever getting on an airplane? That’s what humming birds do. They mostly stay in the warmer climate areas, but will go as far as North America to enjoy the hot summers and budding flowers. What’s even cooler is that because of their special wings they can fly right, left, up, down, backwards, and even upside down!

(Not So) Big Birds

On the go, these colorful, tiny feathery creatures, which weigh less than a pound, really spread their wings when enemies attack. They’re even known for chasing hawks away from their territory. No neighborhood bully is going to take them down.

Fast Food

Although hummingbirds are small, they need to eat all the time. Their wings are constantly flapping (80 times per second) and their heart beats like crazy (1,260 beats per minute), so they really need to chow down. But they don’t eat meat, fruits and veggies like us. Instead they stick their long tapered bill into red sugary flowers to suck nectar, sap, and pollen. Using their special tongue they munch their food down in 13 licks per second. Now that’s fast food!

Sweet Treat

And what’s really sweet about the hummingbird is that you can invite them into your own back yard. Simply make or buy a hummingbird feeding kit, add a little sugar and water, hang it up outside, grab some popcorn, and watch the show. (See this site for full details ).

Tune In

The hummingbird got its name for good reason. This bird’s high-pitched sound could top the charts. Listen up: they croon in unison when communicating or finding a mate. Talk about a really tweet love song!