I remember back in my high school sports team, my nick name was 'Small but Mighty'; This was because I was the youngest and shortest on the school team - and also one of the most valuable sports person in the school. At that time, I was representing my school competitively in basketball, soccer, table tennis, high jump and tracks.
Okay, back to more relevant gist about the hummingbird *tongue out*; I was having a deep conversation with someone on a project and she shared a relatable analogy about these really special birds - they are the tiniest in the category of birds and the only group of birds that can fly backwards. I found that very intriguing and I decided to dig deep in research about them.
What I discovered is quite mind-blowing, and I thought it so necessary to share these powerful facts and information about them with you, as well as dub them - Small But Mighty. Here's why you should agree with me:
- Hummingbirds are the tiniest birds in the world.
- A hummingbird can weigh anywhere between 2 and 20
grams. (A penny weighs 2.5 grams)
- A hummingbird baby is generally smaller than a penny.
- Hummingbirds can hear better than humans.
- Hummingbirds can see farther than humans.
- Hummingbirds can see ultraviolet light. (Ultraviolet light is a form of radiation which is not visible to the human eye. It's in an invisible part of the "electromagnetic spectrum".)
- A hummingbird's heart beats up to 1,260 times per
minute. (How many times does your heart beat per minute?)
- A Hummingbird's heart beats about 250 times per
minute at rest.
- A hummingbird's metabolism is roughly 100 times
that of an elephant. (Wow, and they are the tiniest birds in the world??!!! Size clearly don't matter here.)
- Hummingbirds have very weak feet and can barely
walk. They prefer to fly.
- Hummingbirds are the only birds that can fly both
forward and backwards.
- Hummingbirds can also hover in mid-air, fly
sideways and even upside-down.
- A hummingbird's wings will rotate in a full circle. (Try rotating your arms in a full circle and not lose it or have them in POP)
- A hummingbird's brain is 4.2% of its body weight,
the largest proportion in the bird kingdom.
- A hummingbird wings will beat about 70 times per second. (PER SECOND!!?)
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