Hummingbirds

Hummingbird being banded.

I had a great Saturday morning. I went up to Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens where they were capturing, banding, and releasing ruby-throat hummingbirds. It's one of the most common hummingbirds on the eastern side of North America and are seen as far south as Florida to as far north as Canada. So here are a few facts about the birds.

Hummingbird being released.

Average length: 3.5 inches
Average weight: 1/8 ounce
Body Temperature: 105-108F
Wing beats: 40-80 per second
Respiration: 250 per minute
Heart Rate: 250-1200 beats/minute.

One thing that I did learn is that it is not recommended to get the hummingbird food from the store because it contains preservatives and the dye isn't considered to be too good for them. A 1 part sugar to 4 parts water mixture is all you need to attract birds to your feeder.

Hummingbirds are the only bird that can fly both forward and backwards.