Lexington, South Carolina

Gerry & Sandra Carter

We’re passionate about birds and nature. That’s why we opened a Wild Birds Unlimited Nature Shop in our community.

Lexington, South Carolina

435 Columbia Ave.
Lexington, SC 29072

Phone: (803) 951-2070
Fax: (803) 951-2071
Email: Send Message

Store Hours:
Mon - Fri: 9:00 am - 6:00 pm
Sat: 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Sun: Closed

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Fun Facts About Hummingbirds

  • There are 18 hummingbird species in North America. Hummingbirds are found no where else in the world except the New World (North, Central, and South America.)
  • The oldest known wild Hummingbird on recorded was a Broad-tailed Hummingbird that was over 12 years old.
  • There are over 325 species of Hummingbirds, making them the second largest bird family in the world, second only to flycatchers.
  • Ruby-throated HummingbirdHummingbirds weigh 1/10th of an ounce; about the weight of a penny.
  • Hummingbirds’ brains are about the size of a BB.
  • Hummingbirds have such underdeveloped legs that they are unable to walk.
  • A mother hummingbird weighs only about eight times more than her egg.
  • Hummingbirds lay the world’s smallest bird egg.
  • Hummingbirds generally lay 2 eggs about the size of a blueberry.
  • Ruby-throated Hummingbirds have one of the highest nesting success rates of any Neotropical migrant.
  • Ruby-throated Hummingbirds will have two broods, each taking 45 days from nest construction to fledging.
  • Hummingbirds use spider webs as glue to attach the nest to a tree branch as well as a binding agent for the building materials.
  • The nest is about the size of a golf ball; around 1 ½ inches in diameter.
  • Only about 20% of Ruby-throated Hummingbird fledglings survive their first year.
  • Hummingbirds eat about every 10 minutes.
  • They do not have an innate preference for red. Each hummingbird must learn the association between red flowers and food.
  • During one freeze, killing food sources, a male Anna’s was seen to kill another, using its bill as a spear. You can help birds through such emergencies by providing extra feeders; even simply serving sugar water in any small dish for a few days.
  • Hummingbirds can drink up to twice their body weight in nectar every day (most birds only eat ¼ - ½ their body weight).
  • They drink nectar from plants and sugar water from feeders.
  • Hummingbirds lap up nectar with their long tongues. There is a groove on either side of the tongue that creates a capillary action to help draw the nectar up the tongue and into the mouth during the lapping action.
  • Hummingbirds can extend their tongue approximately a distance equal to the length of their bill.
  • While lapping up nectar, Hummingbirds can move their tongues in and out of their bill at a rate of up to 12 times a second.
  • Female Hummingbirds’ tongues are longer than the males.
  • They eat insects and insect eggs on the ground and in trees. They love spiders and spider eggs. They use their bill and not their tongue to catch insects.
  • One research study recorded an Anna’s Hummingbird visiting over a 1,000 flower blossoms a day.
  • Hummingbirds can fly up to 60 miles per hour, but typically fly at 30-45 miles per hour.
  • They can hover and are the only birds able to fly backwards and upside down. They can do this because of an extremely mobile shoulder joint.
  • Their wings beat 20-80 times per second.