"Hummingbirds are a glittering, sparkling collective of over three hundred wildly variable, colorful species. For centuries they have captured our imaginations - revered by indigenous Americans, coveted by European collectors, and to this day admired worldwide for their unsurpassed metallic, jewel-like plumage, acrobatic flight, and immense character. Yet they exist on a knife-edge -- theirs is a precarious life, dependent upon finding sufficient nectar to provide the high energy their bodies demand daily. They live fast and die young. And they do this in habitats that range from boreal woodlands to deserts, from dripping cloud-forests to montane paramo, and on islands both tropical and sub-polar. They are, perhaps, the ultimate embodiment of evolution's power to carve a niche for a seemingly delicate creature in even the harshest of places. This tells the colorful story of these fabulous birds -- their history, their compelling life cycles, and their perilous position in a changing landscape -- and the stories of the people, past and present, whose lives have been shaped by the zealous passion hummingbirds inspire. Enthusiastic amateur birdwatchers, conservation workers, scientists, smugglers, witches, and celebrities -- all have been consumed in one way or another with passion for the most remarkable family of all the birds. Travelling the full length of their worldwide range, from the very edge of the Arctic Circle to the sub-Antarctic islands off the tip of South America, nature writer Jon Dunn embarks on a search for the most remarkable examples of their kind, exploring their rich cultural heritage, and encountering a host of human characters as colorful as the birds themselves"-- Provided by publisher.

For centuries they have captured our imaginations, and are admired worldwide for their unsurpassed metallic, jewel-like plumage, acrobatic flight, and immense character. Yet hummingbirds have a precarious life, dependent upon finding sufficient nectar to provide the high energy their bodies demand daily. They live fast and die young-- in many different habitats. Dunn tells the colorful story of these fabulous birds-- their history, their compelling life cycles, and their perilous position in a changing landscape-- and the stories of the people, past and present, whose lives have been shaped by the zealous passion hummingbirds inspire. -- adapted from publisher info