The ruby-throated hummingbird in today"s homepage image is snacking on some yellow bells in the Texas Hill Country, preparing for its long journey south for the winter. This time of year, the hummingbirds leave the northern latitudes of the eastern US and Canada, migrating to the warmer climes of Mexico and Central America. Along their route, many will cross the Gulf of Mexico in a single 500-mile flight, which can take 18-22 hours of nonstop flying at speeds of up to 35 miles per hour. Tiny but fierce, the ruby-throated hummingbird weighs less than a nickel. It beats its wings about 53 times a second on average, but during courtship the wingbeat rate increases to 200 times per second, the fastest of any bird.
Tiny fliers head south
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
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A cutting-edge art gallery opens in Paris
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Provence blooms with lavender at Sénanque Abbey
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Mountain mists over Bavaria
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Manatee Appreciation Day
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To the 155th on the 155th
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Colorful cows of the reef
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A cliff-hanging complex of temples
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Oh, to sleep under the northern lights
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Digging the birds
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Playa del Amor, Marietas Islands, Mexico
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Storks ready for takeoff
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Reflections of the night sky
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Red skies at Ruby Beach
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Montreux, Switzerland, and all that jazz
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National Bird Day
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That bill s just not going to fit
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Piazza IX Aprile, Taormina, Sicily, Italy
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So, how long till springtime?
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Poppies in bloom
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New York City skyline
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A picture-perfect day on Trillium
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Siblings Day
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To Sua Ocean Trench
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Brocken spectre in Central Balkan National Park, Bulgaria
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A story of wind and ice
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A misty morning in Brazil
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A yearly sign that spring has sprung
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Bringing together history and technology
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I am the walrus
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The migrating monarchs of Michoacán