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Hummingbirds are tiny birds.
They move their wings very very fast.
Their flapping wings make a humming sound.
A hummingbird has a long, thin tongue.
It puts the tongue inside a flower to drink the nectar.
Hummingbirds are tiny birds, most species (kinds) being between 7.5-13 cm (3-5 inches) long. In fact, the smallest of all birds is the Bee Hummingbird. There are more than a hundred species of hummingbird.
Hummingbirds help pollinate flowers, in the same way that bees do. This means that they take pollen from one flower to another as they feed, mixing pollens as they move from flower to flower. The mixing of pollen helps more flowers develop.
Distribution (where in the world they are found) and habitat
Hummingbirds are found in both American continents, from the southern part of Alaska to the tip of South America, Tierra del Fuego. They are also found in the Caribbean islands.
However, most species of hummingbird are found in the warmer parts of Central and South America – for example, in the South American country of Colombia there are more than 160 species and in Ecuador there are about 130 species. There are less than 10 species in the cooler countries of Chile and Canada.
When in flight, a hummingbird's wings are a blur of movement
Body Facts
Depending on which species they are, hummingbirds flap their wings 10-90 times per second. The Giant Hummingbird’s wings beat 10 times per second, and medium sized hummingbirds beat their wings around 20-25 times per second. Hummingbirds fly up, down, forwards and sideways, can hover in one spot, and are the only birds that can fly backwards or upside down. They can fly faster than 24 km (15 miles) per second ! The rapid wing beats of their tiny wings makes a faint humming sound, which is how they got their name.
Their feet are made for perching, not walking.
Hummingbirds have long fairly straight bills, but some species have different shaped bills to allow them to feed in specialised ways, depending on where they live. For example, there are some with curved bills that fit into flowers with curved corollas (inner parts), some have short, sharp bills so they can feed from flowers with short corollas.
They make chirping sounds but do not sing.
Diet
Hummingbirds feed on nectar from inside flowers. They have long, grooved tongues which they insert deep into flowers to reach the sweet nectar inside, along with any tiny insects that are inside the corolla. They do not spend all day flying as it would use up too much energy, so they spend about 75% of their day perched, allowing their food to digest. They have many small meals all through the day, consuming about their body weight in food.
Life Cycle
Hummingbirds have patches of flat brilliantly coloured feathers that flash when they catch the sunlight at certain angles. These are called gorgets (say gaw-jit) and are part of a male’s courtship display to attract a female’s attention. It is believed that the males do not help with the nesting. 
Females make a cup-shaped nest, the size depending on which species it is – some are the size of a walnut shell. The nest is bound together and held to a branch with spiderweb. Spider silk allows the nest to expand as the young grow. Two white eggs are laid in the nest, and the female incubates them for 14-23 days, depending on the species. When they hatch, the mother feeds them small insects and nectar.
The life span of a hummingbird is between 3 to 10 years, depending on the species.
Watch a video of hummingbirds in a U.S. garden:
http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/kids/animals-pets-kids/birds-kids/hummingbird-kids.html
Read about some of the hummingbirds in the USA: http://www.birdwatchersdigest.com/bwdsite/learn/hummingbirds/index.php
Read about the Ruby-throated hummingbird: http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/ruby-throat-hummingbird/
If you use any part of this in your own work, acknowledge this source in your bibliography like this:
Sydenham, S. & Thomas, R. Hummingbirds [Online] www.kidcyber.com.au (2011)
Photographs on this page © [2007] Jupiterimages Corporation
Updated May 2011 ©kidcyber