Did you know that hummingbirds are coming to your backyard? Yep, these little birds migrate every spring and will be in our area between April 20-May1.1 There are over 320 species of the hummingbird, or Trochilidae, with many of them being in South America, only about 12 species are found in the U.S. and Canada. FUN FACT: ONLY THE RUBY THROATED HUMMINGBIRD BREEDS IN EASTERN NORTH AMERICA.
The ruby throated hummingbird has a wing-beat rate of about 70 per second for the male and 50 per second for the female. So what makes a hummingbird hum? It isn’t their bird songs, but rather the sound of their wings when they beat (often the tail feathers make the most sound).2
If you want to attract these little beauties to your yard you can plant nectar rich plants or use a hummingbird feeder. Here is a simple recipe for Hummingbird treat3:
- 1/4 cup refined white sugar
- 1 cup boiling water
- bowl
- spoon
- Mix sugar and boiling water until sugar is dissolved
- Cool and fill feeder
- Hang up your feeder outside and wait for the hummingbirds!
- Please don’t use honey or red dye.
Of course, you will want to find out more about these great little birds and what better place then the library? Check out these books:
Hummingbirds : facts and folklore from the Americas by Jeanette Larson
Nature’s Children: Hummingbirds by Katherine Grier
1 Map obtained from HummingbirdCentral.com
2 Hummingbird information obtained from Encyclopedia Britannica online.
3 Nectar recipe: https://nationalzoo.si.edu/migratory-birds/hummingbird-nectar-recipe
