Hummingbirds

Physical Facts
During courtship rituals, they power dive and can flap 200 times in a single second! Their tiny feet are almost useless except for perching. (zoom in to their feet) Even to travel 2 inches they must fly. They enjoy bathing in shallow pools and fine mist sprinklers.

Hummingbirds have a high body temperature, a breathing rate of 300-600 breaths per minute, and a heart rate of 500-1200 beats per minute! Burning all that energy, it's no wonder they must feed every 10 minutes all day. They may consume 2/3 of their body weight each day!

What does a Hummingbird Eat?
Sugar from flower nectar and tree sap makes up most of their diet. To build their muscles, they get their protein by eating insects and pollen. Nothing is more important to a hummingbird than its nectar supply. This is why they're so territorial and often you will see them chasing each other around. They love red and orange tubular flowers. Hummers have a good memory and remember food sources from the year before!

Baby Hummingbirds
The female prepares her nest with plant materials, hair and spider webbing. She lays 2 eggs the size of jellybeans! She feeds her babies by thrusting her long bill into their throats and regurgitating insects she has eaten.

3-4 weeks after hatching, the babies take flight. By this time, they are pretty safe since their predators can't ever catch them. Some live more than 10 yrs.

How to Attract Hummingbirds
First, buy a red hummingbird feeder. Add 1 part sugar to 4 parts water. Boil the water 1-2 minutes and let cool. No need to add red food coloring since the feeders are red. Hang the feeder in a shady spot.

Wait one week and move to another area if they don't show up. Clean and refill your feeder once a week to keep it fresh and free from diseases. You can plant long, tubular wildflowers, especially red, orange and deep pink colors. These colors are the ones they seem to like the best!

Some of the types of hummingbirds you may see in Arizona are:

broad-billed hummer
white-eared hummer
berylline hummingbird
violet crowned
blue throated hummingbird
magnificent hummingbird
plain-capped starthroat
lucifer hummingbird
black-chinned hummingbird
anna's hummingbird
costa's hummingbird
calliope hummingbird
broad-tailed hummer
rufous hummingbird
allen's hummingbird