LIVE CALIFORNIA HUMMINGBIRD WEBCAM

More info: The smallest hummingbird of all is the bee hummingbird, which is actually the smallest bird of any kind. A male bee hummingbird is only a little over 5cm long and weighs less than 2g. Hummingbirds have extremely fast metabolisms, so they eat almost continually and need to consume around half their own bodyweight every day, which is mostly made up of nectar, but also small insects and spiders.

Many hummingbirds spend the winter in Central America before migrating northwards for the breeding season in spring. Their migrations seem to be triggered by the position of the sun in the sky and the length of the days, and individual birds will often leave or arrive on their breeding grounds on almost the exact same day every year.

Rufous hummingbirds have the longest migration of all, traveling more than 6000 km between Mexico and Alaska.

Hummingbirds beat their wings up to 80 times a second, which creates the soft humming sound that gives then their name. They are the only birds able to fly up, down, sideways, forwards, and, backwards.

For useful information on hummingbirds in California, read Hummingbird Facts by Loyola Marymount University.