Charles E. Hicks, aged 11, of Irving, Texas for his question:

Why is a hummingbird called a hummingbird?

When you see a hummingbird, step right up. He is not shy of people. Besides, he is so small and so quick that you need a close view to see anything at all. His wings will look like a soft blur, And if you are close enough you will hear a soft purr.

That humming purr is made by the whirring wings. Mr. Hummer can use them to do amazing things. He can fly forward and backward. He can hover still like a helicopter. He can flash off at high speed from a hovering position. He can come to a dead stop in full flight. No brakes;

The humming sound is most noticeable when the little one hovers over a flower. The hovering seems to require faster wing beats. He may be beating those little wings 4,000 times a minute, as fast or faster than 55 strokes every second. This whir, of course, is the sound from which the hummingbird gets his name.