Patty Kime, age 11, of Shreveport, La., for her question:
Where do hummingbirds go in winter?
Hummingbirds are summer visitors. They leave us when the flowers fade. For hammers feed on the small, pesky insects that hide in flower petals. So, come fall, off they fly to where flowers are to be found in more abundance. No hammer winters in North America. They fly to Central America and some fly way doover the equator to South America.
A full grown hammer weighs less than an ounce, feathers, wings, beak and all. Yet this tiny mite migrates over great distances. The rubythroatoa hammer, who summers in our eastern states, winters in Central America. This feathery mite fuels up on insects and nectar and takes off over 500 miles of open water to his winter home. Andy says this is a good thing to remember next time you feel too tired to do the dishes.