Jewels of the Sky: Hummingbirds of Western Montana
August 13, 2020

Jackie Bussjaeger
A male rufous hummingbird visits a feeder near the Lochsa River, just over the Idaho border.
Hummingbirds are stunning creatures: not only for their jewel-like beauty and gravity-defying aerial acrobatics but also for their sheer fortitude. Every fall, they migrate thousands of miles to Mexico or Central America. Their wings thrum at up to 80 beats per second. When they sleep, their body drops into a state of torpor: their heartbeat and breathing slow to a state almost near death. Yet...
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