By. Anuradha
As we all know hummingbirds are the smallest birds in the world. They are talented singers and a beautiful sight to see but unfortunately, 34 hummingbird species are listed as critically endangered species. So, some of them might even completely disappear from Earth within the next ten years and that is why it is crucial to protect them and preserve their breeding grounds.
As you all know they are extremely tiny and only a few inches long and their eggs are too tiny as well. They look like jelly beans and because of their miniature nature, some of us even tend to destroy their nests without being aware of it. Sometimes, when you cut down the branches of a tree or trim down a shrub in your fence, there might be hummingbird nests there and therefore, next time before doing something like that make sure that there aren’t any kinds of nests hidden among the leaves.
Image Credit & More Info: US Fish and Wildlife Service | Wikipedia
These birds make their nests using spider webs, lichen and plant matter and since they use soft materials, their nests are extremely fragile as well. They build these delicate structures on branches hanging over running water or open spaces and even though hummingbirds use these tricks to camouflage their nests, it also makes their nests a bit unsafe.
However, there are a lot of interesting facts about these little creatures.
You cannot see them flapping their wings with the naked eye as these birds flap their wings between 50-80 beats per second. They also eat quite a lot (according to their body size) per day and they feed 5-8 times according to the experts. So, it means that they spend a larger portion of the day finding their food and nibbling them and this happens as their metabolism is speedy. They spend a considerable amount of energy on flying and therefore, they eat a lot to regain the lost energy.
If you do a quick research you can also find some more interesting facts about these little creatures and if you have some facts to share, we are willing to listen to them!