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THE HOME OF MENSA OF WISCONSIN |
| The Ruby-throated
Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris), is a small hummingbird.
It is the only species of hummingbird that regularly nests east
of the Mississippi River in North America. Hummingbirds have
many skeletal and flight muscle adaptations which allow the bird
great agility in flight. Muscles make up 25-30% of their body
weight, and they have long, blade-like wings that, unlike the
wings of other birds, connect to the body only from the shoulder
joint. This adaptation allows the wing to rotate almost 180°,
enabling the bird to fly not only forward but also straight up
and down, sideways, and backwards, and to hover in front of flowers
as it feeds. During hovering, ruby-throated hummingbird wings
beat 55 times per second, 61 times per second when moving backwards,
and at least 75 times per second when moving forward. |
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