Hummingbirds are fascinating and unique birds, known for being the only birds capable of flying backward and flapping their wings up to 90 times per second. They have an extreme metabolism that requires them to eat nectar every 10-15 minutes, consuming up to twice their body weight daily to survive.

Here is a list of fun facts:

• Specialized Flight: They can fly backward, upside down, and hover in mid-air because their wings can rotate 180 degrees.
• Speed and Heartbeat: Their heart can beat over 1,200 times per minute.
• Energy Diet: Although they consume a lot of nectar (sugar), they get protein by eating small insects and spiders.
• The Smallest Bird: The Bee Hummingbird (from Cuba) measures only 5-6 cm and weighs less than 2 grams.
• No Sense of Smell, Great Vision: They lack a sense of smell, but their vision is excellent; they can even see ultraviolet colors.
• Feet for Perching: Despite having feet, they cannot walk or hop; they only use them to perch and scratch themselves.
• Endemic Species: They live only in the Americas, from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego Argentina.
• Torpor State: To save energy at night, they lower their body temperature and enter a state called torpor, slowing down their metabolism.
• Solitary: They do not form flocks and are very territorial and aggressive, even attacking larger birds.
• Lifespan: Most do not survive their first year, though some can live between 3 and 5 years in the wild.

         Choco Toucan Reserve and bird Lodge in Mindo Ecuador, Hummingbird Paradise