Are you ready? Because some of your favorite visitors are on their way. The hummingbird migration has begun and we can expect to see these tiny treats any day now. If you’ve hosted hummingbirds with feeders in the past, you most likely will see some of your regular visitors return. They remember where they’ve been on their migratory path, and especially where they’ve received some extra food.

If you’ve never experienced feeding hummingbirds, first you need to remember to have a little patience. It will take them a little while to find your feeders. But once they do, they’ll most likely hit it everyday. If you plant plants that also offer nectar, it will help entice them to your feeders. I’ll give you some plant options below, so let’s take a look at some great fun facts about our favorite, tiny, fine feathered friend, the hummingbird.

Texas is one of three states that boasts the largest and most diverse hummingbird population in the North America (Arizona and New Mexico are the other 2).

While other birds may be able to hover (though not quite as masterfully as the hummingbird), only hummingbirds can fly backward.

These birds may weigh between 2-20 grams. Grams! A penny only weighs 2.5 grams. Put about 8 pennies in your hand and it would be the equivalent of holding the largest hummingbird!

Speaking of pennies, hummingbirds lay the tiniest eggs. In the book Hummingbirds of Texas, there is a picture of an egg, laid by a Black-Chinned species, that is placed on a penny. It’s so small that it doesn’t even cover the bust of Abraham Lincoln!

Two eggs per “clutch” are usually laid. A clutch is the group of eggs produced by a bird during one nesting period, or one laying event.

The bottom half of their beak is slightly flexible and allows for maximum maneuvering. This way, it’s tongue can access even the smallest and tightest tubular-shaped flowers. Barely a drop of nectar left behind.

These tiny pollinators rub their face and forehead in each flower as they eat, so each time they dive into a new flower they spread around pollen.

If you have a hard time distinguishing the colors on a hummingbird, don’t blame your eyes too much. Some have iridescent coloring that appears to change depending on what angle you see, or how the sunlight hits them. They can also flash their colors when needed/wanted, and hide them just the same.

These birds are smart, very smart. They can remember EVERY single flower that they have been to and slurped from, and they know just how long they need to wait to go back for another drink.

They are pretty territorial when it comes to their feeders or a favorite plant hosting a favorite flower. When resting on a perch, they’ll pick a spot where they have a great view of their surroundings so they can swoop right in if necessary.

I’m about to make you feel really lazy. Even while hummingbirds are perching, they are not really resting. A hummingbird’s heart will beat 250 times per minute, and it will take 250 breaths per minute AT REST! Makes you want to get up and do something right about now, doesn’t it?

A hummingbird will eat anywhere from half to eight times its body weight each day! No wonder its metabolism is about 100 times that of an elephant. This energetic bird needs to eat around 7 times per hour to keep it alive. See why those feeders are so helpful?

Have guessed that red is their favorite color? That’s why you feeders with red plastic or glass. They generally choose bright colors like: red, orange, pink, yellow. They love tubular/bell shaped flowers; but they’ll also visit flowers that have other hues, and shapes, as long as there is nectar in them. This link has some great plants to include in your landscape to entice these tiny zoomers to your feeders.