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5 Facts About Hummingbirds
Discover what makes these birds incredible and how you can support them in your garden!
Photo Credit: Natally Klaric
1. One hummingbird can visit 1,000 flowers in a day!
When thinking about pollinators, the first image that may come to mind is likely a bee, or maybe even a butterfly. But hummingbirds are one of just a few birds that pollinate!
They often visit long, tube-shaped flowers that are well suited to their slim bills. The pollen rubs off onto their face and bill and then gets carried to the next flower.
Since hummingbirds are so fast, reaching speeds of up to 60mph, they can visit a lot of flowers, making them great pollinators!
2. They have an incredible memory, helping them return to seasonal food sources.
While many of us struggle to remember what we ate last week, hummingbirds can recall massive amounts of information about their food sources! Not only can hummingbirds remember the locations of flowers they have visited, but also the nectar quality, the nectar content of each individual flower, and even the nectar refilling rate! This helps them to avoid revisiting empty flowers and wasting a trip.
This amazing memory is in part due to their very large hippocampus, the part of the brain that deals with memory. When compared as a percentage of their brain volume, a hummingbird’s hippocampus is two to five times larger than many other songbirds!
3. Hummingbirds don’t just eat nectar; they eat insects too!
Ask a hundred people what hummingbirds eat and the answer “insects” likely won’t come up at all. We know hummingbirds as nectar-drinkers, visiting flowers and nectar feeders to fuel up. But nectar can only go so far when it comes to nutritious value. It may be high in sugar, but it’s low in protein and fats. For this reason, many hummingbirds also eat protein-packed insects, especially when growing up. In fact, according to Doug Tallamy, nectar only makes up 20% of what hummingbirds eat, with insects being the other 80%!
4. Their eggs are about the size of a coffee bean!
Think hummingbirds are cute? Just wait until you see their eggs! Their eggs weigh less than 1 gram, about the weight of a paperclip!
These tiny birds won’t use a nesting box, but you may find their nests in the sheltered branches of shrubs and trees. Since hummingbirds use lichen to camouflage their small nests, they can be very hard to see. Always use caution when doing any pruning in springtime to ensure you don’t cut down a branch holding a hummingbird nest!
5. Hummingbirds need our help
Hummingbirds visit hundreds of flowers in one day and depend on these ample nectar sources, but their habitat is smaller than it used to be. Where flowers once grew, roads, houses, and businesses now stand. Even our lawns provide very little habitat for hummingbirds who need nectar, insects, and sheltered nesting spots. As of today, over 191 species of hummingbirds have been identified as having decreasing population trends by the IUCN.
By gardening for hummingbirds, you can help provide this habitat. Transforming lawn into native plant garden beds can make a huge impact and provide food and nesting spots! Plus, it means you get to enjoy more hummingbirds in your garden!
Join the National Wildlife Federation’s Garden for Wildlife® and Certified Wildlife Habitat® movement!
