Hummingbird Coloring Sheets and Facts

Hummingbird Coloring Sheets and Facts
Hummingbirds are amazing creatures, aren't they? I think so, and I've found a wonderful hummingbird coloring sheet at FreePrintableOnline.com. It's perfect for using in the classroom or at home to teach children about these amazing little creatures. You can find this coloring sheet and many more in the coloring sheets section on the site. So, print out the humming bird coloring sheets to hand out to your students, and use these facts to teach them about the birds while they color.

Facts About Hummingbirds

1. Hummingbirds are the smallest birds in existence today.
2. Baby hummingbirds are unable to fly and must stay in the nest with their mother for three weeks before they can leave it.
3. The brightly colored feathers on the hummingbird's neck is called a Gorget.
4. Hummingbirds can see and hear better than humans can. However, they do not have a sense of smell.
5. The hummingbird has a grooved tongue that makes it look like a 'W' shape. It uses this tongue to lap nectar out of flowers while feeding. 
6. This little bird's heart beats 1,260 times per minute! Its metabolism is about 100 times greater than that of an elephant.
7. Hummingbirds have small, delicate feet that are rather weak. They prefer to fly instead of walk.
8. Female hummingbirds are larger than the male hummingbirds, and babies are usually smaller than pennies.
9.  On average, hummingbirds only live about five years, but many die within the first year. However, some have been known to live up to 10 years in the wild.
10. The wings of a hummingbird beat 70-200 times per second, depending on what they're doing. Unlike other birds, the hummingbird's wings rotate in a full circle.
11. Hummingbirds can fly up to 30 miles per hour, but can travel up to 60 miles per hour when diving.They travel up to 4,000 miles each year!
12. Their eating habits are quite unusual. They feed, on average, seven times per hour for 30-60 seconds each time. Talk about a sweet tooth!
13. Hummingbirds sleep at night in a metabolic state called torpor. This is similar metabolically to the hibernation modes of many mammals.
14. These birds are native to North and South America. These are the only continents on which the birds occur naturally, though they are found on other continents now due to importing. 
15. The smallest hummingbird is the Bee hummingbird, and the largest is the Giant hummingbird. There are more than 350 different species.

Now you're all set to present some fun facts to your students along with their coloring sheets. Parents can complete this activity at home, too, along with showing your children some videos of hummingbirds in flight, feeding and diving. YouTube is a great resource for these types of videos.