HUMMINGBIRDS The Hummingbird nest is the size of a USA quarter. As far as is known, male hummingbirds do not take part in nesting. Most species make a cup-shaped nest on the branch of a tree or shrub. Two white eggs are laid which, despite being the smallest of all bird eggs, are in fact large relative to the hummingbird's adult size. Incubation typically lasts 12–19 days. The nest varies in size relative to species, from smaller than half of a walnut shell to several centimetres in diameter. Hummingbirds are birds in the family Trochilidae, and are endemic to the Americas. They can hover in mid-air by rapidly flapping their wings 15–80 times per second - depending on the species. They can fly backwards, and are the only group of birds able to do so. Their English name derives from the characteristic hum made by their wings. Hummingbirds do not spend all day flying, as the energy costs of this would be prohibitive; the majority of their activity consists simply of sitting or perching. Hummingbirds feed in many small meals, consuming many small invertebrates and up to five times their own body weight in nectar each day. They spend an average of 10-15% of their time feeding and 75-80% sitting and digesting.The Bee Hummingbird (Mellisuga helenae) is the smallest bird in the world, weighing 1.8g (0.06oz) and measuring about 5 CM (2in). A typical North American hummingbird, such as the Rufous Hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus), weighs approximately 3g (0.106 ounces) and has a length of 10–12 CM (3.5–4 inches). The largest hummingbird is the Giant Hummingbird (Patagona gigas), with some weighing as much as 24g (0.85 oz) and measuring 21.5 CM (8.5in). There has been a Black-chinned Hummingbird (Archilochus alexandri) nest in this exact spot for the last four years. It's under the porch roof of the Starr Ranch bunkhouse. Hummingbird link: http://www.starrranch.org/stream_bchu.shtml Audubon California Starr Ranch Sanctuary 100 Bell Canyon Road Trabuco Canyon, CA 92679 http://www.starrranch.org/index.html Starr Ranch Sanctuary is a 4,000 acre preserve owned and operated by the National Audubon Society. It is located in the foothills of the Santa Ana Mountains in the mild and semi-arid Mediterranean climate of south-eastern Orange County, California, approximately 60 miles south-east of Los Angeles. The Ranch lies in unincorporated Orange County and is bordered by the Cleveland National Forest on the north and east, the Ronald W. Caspers Regional Park on the south and the developments of Dove Canyon and Coto de Caza on the west. The larger community of Rancho Santa Margarita is 3 miles northwest of the Sanctuary, and the city of San Juan Capistrano is 10 miles to the southwest.