Don't very small, very high-metabolism animals -- hummingbirds, for example -- have to feed all the time? What do hummingbirds do when it's cold and rainy all day? Do they still fly around in the rain, looking for nectar? Do they hole up somewhere and go into sleep mode?
Anyway, I found out today that hummingbirds have an unusually long lifespan for such small, fast-living creatures. The record is held by a female that lived to be at least 12 and possibly more, and wild ones are expected to live an average of 5 to 6 years.
I was a little surprised to learn that these delicate little creatures fly south to winter in a warmer climate -- but then, if monarch butterflies can make the journey from Canada to Mexico, I suppose hummingbirds can.
I wonder if hummingbirds migrate in great flocks like the butterflies. Would such a flock of them make a loud buzzing hum?
I'd love to see one.
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