Being dormant slows down their respiratory and metabolic systems, making the birds seem to be asleep or dead. Sometime around the middle of September the hummingbirds will start migrating south again. The most amazing characteristic of the hummingbird is their annual migration to and from the Tropics. The male hummingbird leaves first, followed by the females and later by juveniles. It is truly amazing how a young hummingbird, a few weeks old knows when to fly south, where to go, and how to get there.
Most birds migrate south to their wintering grounds in the Gulf Coast, Mexico, and Central America.
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.