Did you know: Hummingbirds have incredible memories. A hummingbird hippocampus (the part of the brain that stores and processes memory and spatial skills) is proportionally larger than that of a human. This supports their incredible aerial maneuvers and enables them to remember faces, feeders, and flowers. They can even remember how fast different flowers refill with nectar and will time their visits to each flower accordingly. Photo Credit: Ilenia Alvarez. Male Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) #hummingbird #hummingbirds #flowers #intelligent #internationalhummingbirdsociety #rubythroatedhummingbird (fb)

Did you know that a hummingbird's iridescence comes not from pigment, but from light? A hummingbird's iridescent feathers contain densely stacked microscopic packets called melanosomes that are pancake-shaped and filled with tiny air bubbles. This unique structure refracts light to create the shimmering, shifting colors characteristic of so many hummingbird species, such as the intense violet-purple seen here on a Costa's Hummingbird (Calypte costae). Photo Credit - Hilary Morejon - Hummingbirds of Joy #hummingbird #hummingbirds #costashummingbird #iridescent #light #purple #gorget #feathers #internationalhummingbirdsociety (fb)