How Hummingbirds Survive Cold Winter Nights

An Anna’s Hummingbird is a year-round resident as far north as southern British Columbia. How is it possible that a bird that weighs just four grams, lacks insulating down feathers, and needs to eat roughly twice its weight a day could possibly make it through a freezing Northwest night? This busy bird survives a freezing winter night thanks to a wondrous metabolic feat known as noctivation, a brief descent into hibernation. Learn more about noctivation—click here. To see a hummingbird asleep, click here.

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