<div class="text-justify">The hummingbird is a kind of small bird with which many people are familiar. There are 343 species of hummingbirds identified, living in regions throughout the American continent, both in the North and in the South. Due to their large number of species, they are the second largest family of birds in the world.</div>
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[Source](https://www.perkypet.com/articles/hummingbird-facts-you-never-knew)
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<center><h2>What about these beautiful little birds?.</h2></center>
<div class="text-justify">The size of the hummingbirds varies depending on the species. To give you an idea of its size, the smallest species weighs approximately 2.2 grams and the largest about 20 grams. The smallest is the bee hummingbird being also the smallest bird in the world.</div>
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<div class="text-justify">These lovely birds owe their names to the rapid movement of their wings that emit a buzz. They are, in fact the smallest of all the birds in the world, they are also the smallest type among vertebrate animals, so they are often intensively studied by researchers.</div>
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[Little Hummingbirds.](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2828446/Secrets-hummingbird-revealed-Birds-migrate-3-500-miles-away-live-five-times-longer-thought-study-reveals.html)
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<div class="text-justify">Another reason why the hummingbird is so loved and researched has to do with the fact that it has the ability to move in ways that other birds can not. It is the only species of bird capable of flying in all directions, this includes upside down and even upside down.</div>
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<div class="text-justify">During the coldest times of the year, hummingbirds migrate up to 500 miles, are able to cover great distances every day. The Gulf of Mexico is one of the most common areas where they are served during the migration period, and it has become a very common place for birdwatchers.</div>
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[Hummingbird feeder.](https://www.wildaboutbirds.com/read/attracting-birds/how-to-attract-hummingbirds-to-your-yard)</center>
<center><h2>Some important facts about them!</h2></center>
<div class="text-justify">The mating rituals of the hummingbird are also interesting. Known as the courtship dive, the males climb at least 60 feet in the air and then quickly fall, make a U-turn, and do it again, continue this process until you have the attention of a female with whom can mate.</div>
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[Lucifer Hummingbird courtship display.](https://cmoasis.blogspot.com/2013/05/lucifer-hummingbird-courtship-display.html)
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<div class="text-justify">There are many types of food that hummingbirds eat. Mainly they eat sugar and sap, they also eat pollen and even small insects, as a way to obtain proteins. These birds can eat up to 3 times their own weight in food each day. There are rumors about hummingbirds hibernating, but many people discard them, although this has some truth.</div>
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<div class="text-justify">Although these birds do not have a typical season to hibernate, they will do so if they must conserve energy due to lack of food. Then, your metabolism slows down at an extremely small rate, and you can continue to survive. Many people offer bird feeders in their gardens, where hummingbirds come to eat, it is a great way to help these birds thrive. At the same time, many people find great joy having these types of birds in their yard, so the exchange works well for humans and nature.</div>
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[Source](http://www.audubon.org/content/geoffrey-s-lebaron)
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<div class="text-justify">The life expectancy for the hummingbird is often very short, most of them do not live beyond their first year of life, and those who do usually only live up to 4 years. In many places these hummingbirds are having trouble surviving because their natural habitat is being destroyed.</div>
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<div class="text-justify">Problems with cut trees, lack of food, and even chemicals and other elements of their environment, have resulted in some serious declines in the number for some of the hummingbird species. And, despite education and conservation efforts, it can be very difficult to get these numbers up.</div>
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[Source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vFQ5qR1r6k)
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<center><h2>Some curiosities...</h2></center>
-Its heart reaches a maximum of 1,200 beats per minute.
-It is the smallest vertebrate animal of all that exist.
-They can stay suspended in the still air.
-It can beat its wings up to 80 times per second.
-Can perform up to 500 breaths per minute.
-Can make sudden changes of direction with a precision comparable to that of a helicopter.
-If a man consumed the same amount of protein as a hummingbird in relation to his weight, he would have to eat 130 kilograms a day.
-The sword peak has a beak that is as long as its own body.
-Your flight is similar to that of butterflies, which is considered perfect.
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[Hummingbird nest.](http://gilligalloubird.com/how-to-spot-a-hummingbird-nest/hummingbird-nest-small/)
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<center><h2>History and culture of the hummingbirds.</h2></center>
<div class="text-justify">The hummingbird is a very popular type of bird and people seem to adore them, therefore, it is no surprise to discover that they are found in many aspects of popular culture. The Aztecs were one of the first cultures known to embrace beauty and give meaning to the hummingbird.</div>
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<div class="text-justify">They carried talismans in the form of hummingbirds on their bodies as a symbol of the strength of their people. These birds have also been a symbol of energy and work in different cultures, show that when a group is able to work as a team will be able to achieve great things.</div>
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[Source.](https://fineartamerica.com/featured/azteca-con-hummingbird-sonia-orban-price.html)
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<div class="text-justify">In times of war, the hummingbird symbol takes on another role. For men it was a masculine symbol of the effort to protect its people. The hummingbird's beak was seen as something very strong and therefore represented the weapons and the shedding of blood.</div>
<center><h2>Where do hummingbirds live?</h2></center>
<div class="text-justify">The smallest of the birds is a New World animal. From the American continent, for greater precision. The populations in the wild have a range that includes the Neartic and the Neotropic, from the south of Alaska in North America to the archipelago of Tierra del Fuego in South America, a range that includes the Caribbean region. In terms of island territory, it extends from Barbados to the Juan Fernández archipelago.</div>
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[Source](http://tnwatchablewildlife.org/details.cfm?displayhabitat=&sort=aounumber&typename=tennessees&uid=09041918344526095&commonname=Ruby-throated%20Hummingbird)</center>
<div class="text-justify">At present, most of the species is distributed in tropical and subtropical zones of South and Central America. The United States is home to at least 14 and less than 25 species of hummingbirds, Chile and Canada have less than 10, and in contrast, Colombia is home to more than 160. More than half of all species live in Brazil and Ecuador.</div>
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<div class="text-justify">The distribution of each species also depends on their habits, since some are migratory and move in winter to other latitudes to reproduce. Most migratory species travel and nest in sites that are located between latitudes 10 degrees north and 25 degrees south.</div>
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[Source](http://www.chandleraz.gov/default.aspx?pageid=679)
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>References:
-https://defenders.org/hummingbirds/basic-facts
-http://www.hummingbirds.net/
-https://www.nationalgeographic.com/photography/proof/2017/06/hummingbirds-slow-motion-flight-videos/
-https://birdeden.com/facts-about-hummingbirds
-https://www.wildernesscollege.com/hummingbird-habitat.html
-https://askabiologist.asu.edu/hummingbird-reproduction
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