Fast Facts: Hummingbirds – Part I

Carl Kerby

Welcome to Fast Facts with Reasons for Hope! I’m Carl Kerby.

Today, we’re going to be taking a look at one of God’s little miracles.

Collectively called a “tune,” this perfectly designed creature is most often known for its amazing, fast-flapping wings. That’s right – it’s the hummingbird. 

Have you ever watched this amazing bird eat? With incredible speed, the hummingbird flies forward, slightly opens its beak, and sucks the nectar from a flower using its forked tongue. This tongue extends and retracts with superspeed, allowing the hummingbird to lap nectar in thirteen licks per second!

Why the need to eat so quickly? Well, the hummingbird consumes almost half its body weight in a day with both nectar and small invertebrates for added protein. That quick, controlled tongue is imperative to help this bird conserve energy.

Oops! It looks like we’re out of time so we’ll have to talk more about that in another Fast Facts with Reasons for Hope! Until then… stay bold!

Karl Kerby is the founder of Reasons for Hope and co-creator of the DeBunked apologetic video series. His radio feature, Fast Facts, is heard weekly on VCY America, Saturdays at 9:25 AM Central.

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