Other Interesting Facts About Hummingbirds

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Here are some more interesting facts about hummingbirds: * Hummingbirds are attracted to the color red. But it is a myth that they only feed on red flowers. * Hummingbirds can snatch insects right out of the air. Both the shape of their beaks and their quickness act as a spring-loaded set of chopsticks. * They visit 1,000 flowers each day. They also consume 5-8 doses of nectar per hour. * They sleep in what is called a torpor, which is a state similar to hibernation in which the metabolic rate of the body drops as much as 95%, which causes a torpid bird to maintain a hypothermic(body temp) threshold that nears death. It takes them 20-60 minutes to wake from this state. * Hummingbirds beat their wings 1,000 times per minute. 25 to 30% of the bird's weight is in its pectoral muscles. Their nearly invisible wings can propel them forward, upside down and backwards.