| Hummingbirds notoriously have a high wing-beat | | | | helenae), only grow to approximately 1.8g, and |
| rate, and it is its fast wing-beat rate that | | | | yet they beat their wings at about 70 beats per |
| generates the hum for which the hummingbird is | | | | second. |
| named. | | | | One might wonder how a hummingbird could |
| High Metabolism Rate | | | | generate such an incredibly fast wing-beat rate, |
| The largest of hummingbirds, the Giant | | | | but this kind of metabolism is very similar to the |
| Hummingbird (Patagona gigas), grow to be about | | | | energy derived by giving a three-year-old child a |
| 24g and have an average wing-beat rate of 8-10 | | | | can of Mountain Dew to drink. The high |
| beats per second. Mid-sized hummingbirds, the | | | | sugar-intake taken by the child creates a situation |
| Rufous Hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus), grow to | | | | where the child seems to bounce off the walls. |
| weigh about 3g and beat their wings at a rate of | | | | Well, the same thing happens with the |
| 20-25 beats per second. The smallest species of | | | | hummingbird too. |
| hummingbirds, the Bee Hummingbird (Mellisuga | | | | |