Hummingbirds are birds native to the Americas and comprise the biological family Trochilidae. With approximately 366 species and 113 genera,] they occur from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, but most species are found in Central and South America.
Hummingbirds have varied specialized characteristics to enable rapid, maneuverable flight: exceptional metabolic capacity, adaptations to high altitude, sensitive visual and communication abilities, and long-distance migration in some species.
Among all birds, male hummingbirds have the widest diversity of plumage color, particularly in blues, greens, and purples.
Hummingbirds are the smallest mature birds, measuring 7.5-13 cm (3-5 in) in length. The smallest is the 5 cm (2.0 in) bee hummingbird, which weighs less than 2.0 g (0.07 oz), and the largest is the 23 cm (9 in) giant hummingbird, weighing 18–24 grams (0.63-0.85 oz). Noted for long beaks, hummingbirds are specialized for feeding on flower nectar, but all species also consume small insects.
Hummingbird is the only creature that can stop dead while traveling at full speed. It can hover, or can go forward, backward, up or down. It lives on nectar and searches for the sweetness of life. Its long tongue lets it bypass the often tough and bitter outer layer to find the hidden treasures underneath.
Hummingbird is loved by the flowers and plants, for as it sucks the nectar from the flower, the plant reproduces and more of its kind are created.
In many traditions, Hummingbird feathers have been prized for their almost magical qualities. It is said that Hummingbird brings love as no other medicine can, and its presence brings joy to the observer.
They are known as hummingbirds because of the humming sound created by their beating wings, which flap at high frequencies audible to other birds and humans. They hover at rapid wing-flapping rates, which vary from around 12 beats per second in the largest species to 80 per second in small hummingbirds. Continue reading
As of 2024, 21 hummingbird species are listed as endangered or critically endangered, with numerous species declining in population.
Beautiful Video Captures Extremely Rare Hummingbird Previously Thought Extinct
The Hummingbird is another symbol of regeneration or resurrection. Hummingbird is the creature that opens the heart. When the hurt that caused us to close our hearts gets a chance to heal, our hearts are free to open again. With hummingbird consciousness, we learn the truth of beauty. Our life becomes a wonderland of delights in flowers, aromas and tastes. We laugh and enjoy creation, we appreciate the magic of the present moment, and the magic of being alive.
If you have Hummingbird medicine, you adapt easily to whatever situation you may find yourself in, and make the most of your new circumstances. You don't waste time looking back and wishing for "what was" for you are concerned with making the most of "what is".
Also, you could never become addicted to any artificial stimulants, for you find joy in your own heart. You take great pleasure in spreading joy and love and beauty to all around you, and have the gift of taking that inner joy into new and different surroundings. You have a talent for finding the good in people, and are not put off by a gruff or abrupt exterior, for you know that, if you can only get beyond that tough outside layer, you'll find goodness and beauty inside.
You may have a gift for working with flowers, maybe growing them to share with others, or using flower essences for healing. Aroma therapy may be your calling. You have high energy and a spirit that must be free. To restrict that wonderful, free, loving energy is to suffer great depressions and feelings of uselessness.
Hummingbird must fly free in search of beauty, spreading joy and love to all it touches. It is about independence and courage.
Quetzalcoatl
with Hummingbird (Creation)
Milk Hill, Nr Stanton St Bernard, Wiltshire -- July 2, 2009
Nazca Lines - The Hummingbird
Spider Woman Myths
Other Native American Creation Myth With Hummingbird
Huitzilopochtli
In Aztec mythology, Huitzilopochtli, also spelled Uitzilopochtli (Classical Nahuatl: "Hummingbird of the South (on the Left)", or "Left-Handed Hummingbird") was a god of war, a sun god, and the patron of the city of Tenochtitlan. He was also the national god of the Mexicas of Tenochtitlan.
