Birds do not have sweat glands to help them bring down their body temperature. To cool off they open their bill wide and expand their throat to expose lots of moist skin. They then take in rapid puffs of air, or pant, to evaporate water and cool the surfaces of their throat and air sacs.

The tip of a hummingbirds tongue is forked and each fork has a fringe designed to hold liquid. The fring spreads out when it is submerged in nectar, and wraps securely around a drop of necatar as it is pulled back into the bill. Humming birds can flick their tongues in and out of nectar twenty times per second.

The anatomy of a hummingbird tongue

See this amazing process in action by watching this video! Click Me!

Hummingbirds and woodpeckers have extremely long tongues. When their tongues are not in use it will wrap completely around their skull! A structure called the hyoid apparatus enables the tongue to wrap under the jaw then behind and over the head.

Did you know that when owls fly they create no sound? Go watch and listen for yourself!

Birds are considered one of the worst pets to own for people who have lung issues.

It sucks being allergic to birds, they're one of my favorite animals 😭

Get ready for a hummingbird info dump, because these birds are awesome!

Hummingbirds can beat their wings up to 80 times per second!

Hummers are the only species of birds that can fly backwards.

They have an astonishing heart rate of 1,200 beats per minute

Hummingbirds have the fastest metabolism in the animal kingdom. They consume the human equivalent of 155,000 calories a day!

Hummers have such high metabolism they have to enter a state of hibernation called torpor while they sleep. Torpor slows down thier heart and lowers body temperature to conserve energy.

Hummingbirds have excellent memory. They can remember the location of flowers and feeders for years.

I think the worst and best thing I've seen all day is hummingbird tongue anatomy. I'm not sure how to feel 😀

Another thing about humming birds...... don't use the red dyed humming bird feeder stuff. The dye is actually toxic adn will cause the tounge of the humming bird to swell. It's best to make your own sugar water for them.