Exceptions are the Green Violetear with its mostly green plumage, the dark-bellied Magnificent Hummingbird, and the tan plumages of Rufous and Allen's Hummingbirds. Most hummingbirds in North America have white underparts and glittering green upperparts. Just as impressive in flight, the large Magnificent and Blue-throated Hummingbirds of the southwest are roughly the same size as some warblers. Most North American hummingbird species are tiny birds, most not much larger than a medium-sized butterfly, with thin, pointed bills, very short legs, and long wings for their dynamic flying. These hyperactive, insect-like birds can hover in place and fly backwards on wings that beat so fast they become a blur. Hummingbirds are mostly known for their tiny size and flying abilities. In addition to species with hummingbird as part of their name, these minute flying gems also include the poetically named hermits, streamertails, coquettes and violetears. One hundred twenty species of hummingbirds in fifty genera occur in North America. The taxonomic order APODIFORMES (pronounced a-poh-dih-FOR-meez) is composed of four families of birds that occur on all continents except for Antarctica and includes masters of flight such as the swifts and hummingbirds.Ī family restricted to the Americas, the Trochilidae (pronounced tro-KIL-luh-dee), or hummingbirds, is one of the largest bird families with three hundred and thirty-eight species in one hundred and six genera.
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