Today is: National Hummingbird Day

News-Messenger/News Journal
·1 min read
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Mexican sage flowers attract butterflies and hummingbirds.
Mexican sage flowers attract butterflies and hummingbirds.

Today we celebrate the hummingbird. There are about 325 species of hummingbirds, but only eight of them regularly breed in the United States. Although, up to two dozen species can be found there at various times. Most species of hummingbirds can be found in South America, Central America, and the Caribbean, and there are no hummingbirds outside of the Western Hemisphere.

Hummingbirds are very small — many weigh less than the weight of a nickel. The calliope hummingbird is 3 inches long, and the bee hummingbird, native to Cuba, is the smallest bird species in the world, at 2.25 inches in length. Hummingbirds have such small feet that they can't walk or hop properly. The small size of their feet also allows them to fly quicker. They can fly up to 30 miles per hour.

This article originally appeared on Fremont News-Messenger: Today is: National Hummingbird Day