Annas hummingbird 7 Sep 2024

Annas hummingbird

Hummingbirds are known for their incredible speed; they can flap their wings up to 80 times per second, allowing them to hover in place and even fly backward. Emily Dickinson aptly describes their swift movement: "A Route of Evanescence / With a revolving Wheel—." Their high metabolism requires them to eat constantly, so they spend their days flitting from flower to flower, sipping nectar and catching insects. Fun fact: these birds can remember every flower they"ve visited and how long it will take a flower to refill with nectar.

© yhelfman/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Back to the future
Sep 6, 2023Rethymno, Crete, Greece
7 Sep 2025Great North Run

More Desktop Wallpapers:

6 Nov 2024Shi Shi Beach, Olympic National Park, Washington, United States
20 Mar 2024Spring equinox
31 May 2025Knuthöjdsmossen nature reserve, Sweden
Stop and smell the Sakura
5 Feb 2025Scottish Blackface sheep, Aberdeenshire, Scotland
8 Sep 2024Great North Run
What are these unique creatures?
The road less taken?
23 Sep 2025Keel-billed toucan, Costa Rica
1 Aug 2024Floating fruit market, Kaptai Lake, Rangamati, Bangladesh
16 May 2024International Day of Light
Want to hang about?
Starry, starry night
10 Nov 2023Badlands National Park, South Dakota, USA
3 Feb 2025Ribblehead Viaduct, North Yorkshire, England
29 Sep 2023Castell Coch, Wales
8 Jul 2024Blueberries growing in the wild
17 Aug 2024International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend
26 Mar 2025Manatee Appreciation Day
In a world of their own
Peek-a-boo, I see you!
21 Aug 2025Wheatear, Peak District National Park, England
12 Jan 2025Crescent-tail bigeye fish, Great Barrier Reef, Australia
12 Nov 2025Colosseum, Rome, Italy
What are these predators doing?
An island park
Home of the worst-smelling food?
Clouds dance above Sundance
3 Jul 2024World Meerkat Day
5 Feb 2024Northern hawk-owl