It's been estimated that as a writer, you have about 30 to 60 seconds to catch an editor's attention. If you can't do it in that time, the query letter is rejected. You have to grab the editor, fast. There are three ways to get an editor's attention. Give them a little known or interesting fact, ask them a question that makes them want to know the answer, or tell them a small story, called an anecdote, that makes them want to read more.
Most birds require lots of energy, so their bodies use up the food they eat very quickly.
This is called having a high metabolism. Some birds, like the hummingbird, can eat as much as 50 percent of their body weight in food. The lead of your article has one job, it has to catch your editor's attention, and it has to do it fast. About two paragraphs is the maximum amount of space you should devote to the lead of your query. If you can't grab the editor by then, you've lost them anyway.