Physical characteristics of hummingbirds
Hummingbirds draw their name from the humming sound that their wings make when they are in flight. Their wings are powerful, which enables them to fly backwards and forwards and even upside down. Owing to the strong neck muscles that they have, they can quickly change direction. Hummingbirds hover when feeding and can at times remain stock-still in the air. They have long bills that and tongues that they dip inside the flower to suck the nectar. The sizes of hummingbirds vary with the smallest measuring about 5.7 cm while the biggest bird measuring 21.6 cm when measured from head to tail.

That hummingbirds are aptly nicknamed flying jewels is due to nature of their colorful plumage especially when they are flying. Some of their colors appear to change basing on the direction the light shines on the plumage. Females are less colorful compared to their female colleagues, a fact that is attributed to the female’s urge to protect its young ones from predators.

Geographic range
Hummingbirds inhabit three major continental areas and these are South, Central and North America.

Habitat
Humming birds live mainly in coniferous forests where trees scarcely undergo seasonal changes. They also need tropical rainforest where the massive annual amounts of rainfall witnessed in this climate make it possible for more growth of trees. They are also to be found in deciduous forest where trees shed their leaves during particular seasons. Grasslands, deserts, and swamps also have some varieties.

Hummingbirds and people
Hummingbirds have long bee n the subject of great fascination to human beings in different parts of the world. In Latin America, for instance, people thought for a very log time that the sun disguised itself as a hummingbird while in other countries, people believed that using powder made from the bodies of hummingbird would give them romance or even create wealth for them.

Obviously, these stereotypes put hummingbird’s life in great danger and during the 20th century, laws to protect hummingbirds were put in place. Today, people derive a lot of enjoyment from the ‘flying jewels, as they are commonly referred.

Conservation of hummingbirds
World Conservation Union, abbreviated as IUCN, has set the alarm bells ringing as it has listed nine hummingbird species as critically endangered, which means they face high risk of extinction while others are dying out in the wild. Threats posed to hummingbirds include lack of habitat as human beings clear the forest either to till the land or put up structures there or even use the timber.

Diet
Hummingbirds’ main source of food is the nectar from plants that produce them. They tend to be attracted most by flowers that are red, orange and yellow. The relationship between the hummingbird and the plant from which it sucks nectar is one of mutualism as both parties benefit. The hummingbird pollinates the flower when they feed on the nectar. But the bird does not feed on nectar its whole life. It also feeds on insects, the size of which greatly depends on the size of the bird.