Beginning this Sunday, hummingbird enthusiasts throughout the country will participate in National Hummingbird Month. Among the many scheduled activities will be seminars, hummingbird observations and Internet chat. Gauging by the wide assortment of colorful hummingbird feeders and flags throughout the Tri-State, the world s smallest bird is much admired here, too, and it s not difficult to understand why. Some hummingbirds, like the rufous hummingbird, are no bigger than a person s thumb. Yet every fall, this bird flies 2,500 miles from Alaska to Central America and returns to Alaska in spring.
Hummingbirds carry the gift of flight to a new level.
A hummingbird can turn its wings in any direction, even upside down. This is because the bones in its wing are different from those of other birds. The effect is to create only lift and no rotational movement. If it were possible for a helicopter to function this way, it wouldn t need the tail propeller. The wing muscles of a hummingbird represent a disproportionately large part of the body mass perhaps up to one-third or so when compared with members of other bird families.