Abstract:
Hummingbirds are magnificent creatures. They are the only birds that can hover and instantly switch to any direction. In order to fuel their amazing flights, hummingbirds eat half their weight a day in sugar. This would be the equivalent of a 170-pound man eating and burning 150,000 calories a day. Ruby-throated hummingbirds, the most common hummingbird in North Carolina, spend their winters in Central American and in southern Mexico. They make a 2,000-mile journey across the Gulf of Mexico to spend their summers in the southeastern United States. The author fell in love with hummingbirds when he placed a feeder in his yard. Since then, the author has enjoyed observing hummingbirds and their behaviors, such as fighting over rights to the feeder.