Hummingbirds

The world’s smallest migrating bird. Catching sight of a tiny colourful hummingbird is an incredible wildlife spectacle.

Named after the humming noise their wings make in flight, the hummingbird is the only bird species which can fly backwards which comes in handy when feeding on the nectar of plants and insects.

Living in the Americas, there are five species of hummingbird that are regularly found in Canada. Ruby-throated hummingbirds are found in provinces east of the Rockies.

Vagrants, birds that are found outside of the range where we expect to see them. Rufous Hummingbirds are observed on a fairly regular basis. Additionally, Anna's, Black-chinned, Broad-tailed, Green-violet Ear, and Broad-billed hummingbirds have all been documented in eastern Canada. 

Did you know ??

Hummingbirds have the highest metabolic rate of any homeothermic animal.. To conserve energy when food is scarce and nightly when not foraging, they can go into torpor, a state similar to hibernation, and slow their metabolic rate to 1/15 of its normal rate.