How does a hummingbird drink nectar?

With a forked tongue that traps nectar

By sucking through a straw-like beak

What can hummingbirds remember?

Which flowers they visited and when

Hummingbirds Quiz: 10 Questions That Test What You Know

Wings that beat up to 80 times a second let a hummingbird hover, fly backwards and even upside down, and this hummingbirds quiz explains the science behind the blur. Meet the bee hummingbird of Cuba, the giant hummingbird of the Andes and the nectar feeders of backyard gardens.

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🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Backwards
What can hummingbirds do that most birds cannot?
Smallest
What is the smallest bird in the world?
Wings
How fast can some hummingbirds beat their wings?
Heart
How fast can a hummingbird's heart beat?
Torpor
What do hummingbirds do on cold nights to save energy?
Region
Where are hummingbirds found in the wild?
Food
Besides nectar, what do hummingbirds eat for protein?
Largest
Which is the largest hummingbird?
Tongue
How does a hummingbird drink nectar?
Memory
What can hummingbirds remember?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: What can hummingbirds do that most birds cannot?
Answer: Fly backwards
Their shoulder joints let wings rotate.
Q2: What is the smallest bird in the world?
Answer: Bee hummingbird
It lives in Cuba and weighs about 2 grams.
Q3: How fast can some hummingbirds beat their wings?
Answer: Up to about 80 times a second
The beat makes the humming sound.
Q4: How fast can a hummingbird's heart beat?
Answer: Over 1,200 beats a minute
They burn energy very fast.
Q5: What do hummingbirds do on cold nights to save energy?
Answer: Enter torpor
Their body temperature drops sharply.
Q6: Where are hummingbirds found in the wild?
Answer: Only in the Americas
Most species live in South America.
Q7: Besides nectar, what do hummingbirds eat for protein?
Answer: Small insects and spiders
Chicks need lots of protein.
Q8: Which is the largest hummingbird?
Answer: Giant hummingbird
It lives in the Andes.
Q9: How does a hummingbird drink nectar?
Answer: With a forked tongue that traps nectar
It licks up to 15 times a second.
Q10: What can hummingbirds remember?
Answer: Which flowers they visited and when
They avoid flowers they have emptied.

Hummingbirds Quiz – Tiny Bird, Huge Energy

Hummingbirds are tiny birds found only in the Americas, with over 360 species. They can hover in place, fly backwards and even upside down thanks to wings that rotate at the shoulder and beat dozens of times a second.

This flight uses enormous energy. Hummingbirds have the fastest metabolism of any bird and must feed every few minutes on nectar and insects. At night, they can slip into torpor, a deep sleep that slows their heart and lowers their temperature.

Hummingbirds are important pollinators, and many flowers have evolved to match their beaks. Some, like the ruby-throated hummingbird, migrate long distances. Planting native flowers is a simple way to help them.

What This Quiz Teaches

Bird lovers and gardeners will enjoy these questions.

How hummingbirds hover
Which is smallest
How fast their hearts beat
What torpor is
Where they live

Did You Know?

Hummingbirds can see ultraviolet colors.
Their nests are walnut-sized.
Hummingbird feet are tiny and weak.
Some defend flowers fiercely.
Rufous hummingbirds migrate from Mexico to Alaska.