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.

Long-Tailed Sylph: Male long-tailed sylphs (Aglaiocercus kingii) have amazingly long tails, around five inches in length. They are so long that they actually hamper the birds' flight, requiring males to be especially strong and skilled fliers to survive to breeding age.2 Females choose their mates based on the size of those tail feathers, as they are a symbol of strength and fitness. Males also exhibit a stunning iridescent blue and green coloring. Long-tailed sylphs prefer high elevations. They occur most commonly in the Andes, from Venezuela to Bolivia.