Welcome to 12 Days of ZooLights, where we celebrate the festive lights decorating the Smithsonian's National Zoo at the holidays!
Today's Animal of the Day: Hummingbirds
Zoo Lights Debut: 2007
Number of lights in display: 350
Why we love the display: Hummingbirds will be a lot less easy to come by during the winter, so its nice to see their vibrant colors immortalized in Zoo Lights.
Habitat: All over the Western Hemisphere, but they are especially partial to the tropics. You can even get hummingbirds to nest in your own backyard by planting certain flowers and keeping lots of sugar water nearby.
Bet you didn’t know... Hummingbirds are one of the few species of birds to go into a state of torpor-- a state of deep resting, comparable to short-term hibernation.
Local
Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia local news, events and information
About ZooLights: In this yearly display, more than 500,000 environmentally-friendly LED lights transform the Zoo into a winter wonderland. Check out the new garden scene light sculpture.
Thanks to our partners in the 12 Days of ZooLights.
