Test your hummingbird knowledge! Can you answer the question?
  
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ANSWER: c. When food is scarce
     
When food is scarce or when they simply need to rest, hummingbirds are able to put themselves into a kind of trance, known as torpor, in order to conserve energy. While in a state of torpor, a hummingbird’s body temperature decreases, and its metabolism falls to around 1/15th of its normal rate. Its heart rate also drops to around 50-180 beats per minute. Although useful, torpor can have negative side effects. It can take a healthy bird up to an hour to recover after coming out of torpor, and weak hummingbirds have been known to die during a state of torpor. (wisconsinpollinators.com)

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