Stacy Pisani

Hummingbirds are amazing simply because they are the only birds that hover in flight and can fly backwards, forward, sideways, up, down and even upside down. Their rapid figure eight wing movement requires tremendous energy to sustain. During the day at rest (e.g. perched) their heart may beat 250 times per minute (bpm), soaring up to 500 to 1250 bpm in flight, and dropping to 50 bpm at night when they enter a state of torpor to conserve energy.

Their long bill and hovering flight are adaptations to lap nectar from certain flowers, especially long, tubular-shaped flowers. The sugar in nectar is the major fuel that sustains their high-metabolism muscles to contract and move those wings so fast. And because they burn energy so quickly, they must feed every few minutes during the day. This constant need for flower nectar makes them easy to attract with special bottle feeders filled with solutions made from powder or concentrate containing the simple sugar, vitamins and other essential nutrients that are in . . .  Thorn Creek News August 2014