Hummingbirds

Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Selasphorus platycercus

Hummingbirds, nicknamed Flying Jewels, are found throughout the American continents from sea level up to an altitude of 5,000 m (16,500 ft). While most live in the tropics, they can also be found in habitats such as the mountains and plains. Within the Trochilidae family, there are 328 identified species of hummingbird. They consume not only nectar, but also a number of insects including mosquitoes, spiders, gnats, and aphids.

Hummingbirds are of the family Trochilidae.

With such a variation of habitats, many hummingbirds have evolved to adapt to those needs. Some hummingbirds, such as the Broad-tailed Hummingbird, enter a state of torpor during the cold nights to conserve energy. The Tooth-billed Hummingbird of Ecuador and Panama, as well as the Lucifer Hummingbird of the extreme southern United States and Central America, have bills to help with nectar robbing. While hummingbirds often serve as pollinators, reasons, such as competition with other creatures, may force adaptation to instead steal nectar.

Hummingbirds are extremely agile flies.

Many of these small eighth of an ounce birds are migrants travelling around 800 km (500 mi) a year. The Rufous Hummingbird travels 4,800 km (3,000 mi) from Mexico to Alaska. The Ruby-throated Hummingbird migrates at least 3,200 km (2,000 mi) from its wintering grounds as far south as Panama, to its breeding grounds as far north as Canada. This particular species is one of 16 species which breed in North America, and the only species that breeds in the eastern half of the continent.