God’s Little Helicopter: The Amazing Hummingbird

We were spellbound. They were tiny. One at a time they came. The second one would chase away the first. The nearest we could come to identify them is that they were Ruby-throated Hummingbirds. The male has a red throat (gorget), while the female’s throat is white. Both have metallic green backs and wings. They would hover briefly near our hummingbird feeders, where we had provided clean sugar water. After they decide it is safe, they would drink.

We discovered that the most common hummingbirds in Texas were the Rufous, Lucifer, Ruby-throated, Broad-tailed, Black-chinned, and Buff-bellied.

Beautiful. Awesome! Incredible! Amazing! These expressions and more describe God’s little helicopter, the hummingbird. Though small, they are gorgeous, with colors ranging from brilliant greens and blues to fiery reds and oranges. Because of the unique structure of their feathers, light refracts to create a dazzling display.

Their habitat is from the Tierra Del Fuego, an island off the southern tip of Argentina to south Alaska. There are about 365 species of hummingbirds in the world. Most of them live in Central and South America.

These tiny birds weigh 2 to 20 grams or .0044 to .044 pounds. The bee hummingbird of Cuba weighs 1.95 grams. If it were possible to mail them, you could insert sixteen hummingbirds in one envelope using one first-class stamp. The egg of a ruby-throated hummingbird is as tiny as a pea. The average hummingbird’s weight is less than a nickel.

Yet, these tiny birds pack a wealth of physical and mental abilities. Their beaks, bones, and feathers differ from any other birds living or extinct. They are fast and have been clocked at 30 mph in direct flight and over 45 mph in a courtship dive. Their incredible and unique wings allow them to hover (like a helicopter) and fly backward or even upside down.

Their heart is unbelievably fast, beating 225 times per minute when resting and more than 1,200 times per minute when flying. Their wings beat 70 times per second in flight and about 200 times per second when diving.

They are powerful and enduring. Ruby-throated hummingbirds have no difficulty flying for 18 to 20 hours to cross the Gulf of Mexico. They can travel up to 500 miles at a time. They don’t migrate in flocks. They are all solo flyers, including the young ones in their first year. God has implanted the directions in their brain so they know where to go.

The high-energy lifestyle of the hummingbird compels it always to be looking for food. They drink nectar from flowers and migrate, as necessary, to match the changing patterns of flower production.    God has given them a long, slender beak and a skinny tongue to dip into and out of a flower to gather nectar. When finished with a flower, it moves away by flying backward. They also feed on insects. During breeding season they will often hover in mid-air and catch flying insects to eat and feed to their young.

Hummingbirds are not very social birds.   Sometimes, they are combative and fierce, always competing for food. At these times, you may see repeated high-speed chases as they defend their food source. Male and female hummingbirds do not form a bond after mating. The female is left to tend to the eggs and chicks alone.

These unique birds were not a product of evolution. Their distinctive traits could not have evolved one at a time into what we know today as the hummingbird. Without all these traits given to them simultaneously in creation, they could not have survived the millions of years required for the subsequent evolving development. They would have starved to death.

God created these astounding little creatures. Job pondered this wonderful truth. “But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee: Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee: and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee. Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the LORD hath wrought this? In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind. (Job 12:7-10). God said, “I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are mine.” (Psalm 50:11)

God created the earth and every creature on the earth, and all of the heavens. He wanted us to KNOW that God is and that He cares for all humanity and everything that lives on the planet.

“God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed any

thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:  For in him we live, and move, and have our being; (Acts 17:24-28).

David could not help but burst out with praise as he gazed and pondered God’s creation. “When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honor. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet: All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field; The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas. O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!”  (Psalm 8:3-9).

Jesus is God, the Creator of all things. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:” (John 1:1-3, 12)

How marvelous it is that Jesus, the Creator of the hummingbird and of everything on this earth and throughout the universe, wants to know you personally and wants you to know Him.  Because every man is a sinner and unable to save himself, Jesus died for you and me to pay for our sins. He invites us to come to Him for forgiveness and salvation. “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8). “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:9, 10, 13). Will you trust Him as your Savior today?

Sources:  There are many sources of information about hummingbirds on the internet besides what I have linked.  Just type “hummingbird” into Google for a wealth of information.