Hummingbirds are the most amazing of all flyers. They are the only birds that can fly forward, backward, and up and down, just like a helicopter. These extraordinary birds can also hover or fly at speeds of up to 75 miles per hour. The birds that endure the trip from the south count on feeders filled with sugar water. The heart of an adult male Ruby-throated Hummingbird beats about 200 to 600 times per minute, but the heartbeat can accelerate to about 1200 beats per minute if the bird is feeding or agitated.
Hummingbirds eat small insects and nectar.
Some studies indicate that insects may comprise up to 60 percent of a Ruby-throated Hummingbird's diet. The ruby-throated hummingbird is one of 16 species of hummingbirds that inhabit the United States and Canada. Also it is the only class of hummingbird repeatedly detected east of the Rocky Mountains. The other families of hummingbirds live on the West Coast, the High Rockies, and the Southwest. People can attract all species of hummingbirds with sugar water feeders and to gardens containing nectar producing flowers.