I saw my first ruby-throated hummingbird of the year today. It is exciting to see these tiny, but bold birds again. The pictured bird would have flown from Minnesota to South America last autumn, and came back over the Gulf of Mexico this spring and all the way up to Minnesota.
Birds have a massive amount of feathers. The ruby-throated hummingbird has roughly 1,000 feathers (according to the Sibley Guide to Bird Behavior). Swans and geese have closer to 25,000 feathers per bird.
