A hummingbird is a tiny, brilliantly colored bird that can hover in midair by beating its wings so fast they become a blur. These remarkable creatures flap their wings many times per second, creating the humming sound that gives them their name.

Hummingbirds are among the few birds that can fly backwards and even briefly upside down. They're also incredibly small: most species weigh less than a nickel. Despite their size, hummingbirds are surprisingly tough and territorial, often chasing away much larger birds from their favorite flowers.

These birds feed on nectar from flowers, using their long, needle-like beaks and even longer tongues to reach deep inside blooms. They have extremely fast metabolisms and must eat constantly, visiting hundreds of flowers each day just to survive. Many people hang special feeders filled with sugar water to attract hummingbirds to their yards.

Some hummingbird species migrate thousands of miles, an astonishing feat for such a small creature. The Ruby-throated Hummingbird, for example, flies about 500 miles across the Gulf of Mexico twice a year. When you see a hummingbird hovering at a flower, you're watching one of nature's most perfectly designed flying machines in action.