Hummingbirds

The sweet sound of these speedy little birds whistling through the air as they spread their wings, whipping up a storm, is nothing short of the forest's cutest little lullaby. The delicacy of their brightly colored bodies is only matched by the uniqueness of their flight and the length of their little pink tongues. Hummingbirds are among the smallest of birds. They can hover in mid-air by rapidly flapping their wings 12–90 times per second and can also fly backwards, the only group of birds able to do so. Their English name derives from the characteristic humming sound made by their rapid wing beats. They can fly at speeds exceeding 54 kmph/34 mph. Hummingbirds drink nectar, a sweet liquid inside flowers. Like bees, they are able to assess the amount of sugar in the nectar they eat; they reject flower types that produce nectar that is less than 10% sugar and prefer those whose sugar content is stronger. Nectar is a poor source of nutrients, so hummingbirds meet their needs for protein, amino acids, vitamins, minerals, etc. by preying on insects and spiders, especially when feeding young. This sound uses the following file from Freesound:http://www.freesound.org/samplesViewSingle.php?id=104484