15 Strange And Beautiful Hummingbird Species

There are about 338 different species of hummingbirds - an amazing family of birds found only in the New World. Their ability to hover for extended periods of time and even fly backwards makes them unique in the bird world. What they lack in size, they make up for with energy; the pinnacle of this being the Ruby-throated Hummingbirds incredible ability to flap up to 200 times per second during courtship displays.

Ecuadorian Hillstar: The Ecuadorian hillstar (Oreotrochilus chimborazo) lives at high altitudes in the Andes, feeding along the slopes right up to the snow line. Because these birds live in such cold areas year-round, they conserve energy by taking shelter in protected roosts and going into torpor (a state of lowered metabolic rate, heart rate, oxygen intake, and body temperature) at night.