Friday, September 26, 2008

Hummingbird


These birds are among the smallest in the world. They are found only in the western hemisphere, from Canada to the tip of South America. The tiniest of the 320 kinds lives in Cuba. It is less than 2 inches--hardly bigger than a large bumblebee.
The feathers of a hummigbird are colored in brilliant metallic hues of blue, green, red, and yellow. The colors flash in the sun, so they look like glittering jewels on the wing.

Hummingbirds can beat their wings up to 7 times a second. This is what causes their distinctive humming sound. It also lets them hover in mid-air and fly backward and sideways like a helicopter. In this way, they dart from flower to flower and feed while flying. They take nectar and tiny insects from deep within the cups of flowers.

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