How To Feed And Attract Hummingbirds
The diminutive hummingbird (Trochilidae-Hummingbird Family), there are 339 species of this tiny bird,
16 species in the U.S. with another 1/2 dozen non-non native species spotted within the continental U.S.
With the exception of insects, hummingbirds have the highest metabolism of all animals due to the rapid
beating of their wings which create the humming sound these birds are named for. A hummingbird can
flap its’ wings up to 200 times per second and are capable of incredible aerial feats such as flying
backwards, right and left, up and down and even remain stationery mid air while their wings flap in
a dizzying figure eight motion.
The hummingbird can consume more than their weight in nectar each day and to do so must visit 100”s of
flowers each day. Hummingbirds are continuously hours away from starving to death, and store just enough
energy to fuel their high metabolisms overnight, a period when their metabolisms slow down.
As hummingbirds can consume up to their bodyweight each day in high energy nectar, they are dependent on
an abundance of wild flowers and the generosity and care of bird enthusiasts, especially when flowers are scarce
due to drought or low yield years. Though they consume insects for protein, their main diet is the high energy
sugars
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