Although many animals can go without food for a few hours, hummingbirds cannot. To survive, hummingbirds must eat every five hours. As little as three hours for certain hummingbirds.
These small animals can take most nutrients from their diet, but they must consume constantly to maintain their weight. Hummingbirds must eat continually due to their fast metabolism.
They spend much of their time eating or searching for food. Finding time to relax may be difficult with such high intake needs. These smart creatures have overcome this. Nighttime hummingbirds hibernate.
They conserve resources by slowing their heart rate and body temperature. This method works, however most hummingbirds lose weight while sleeping. Every morning, they must start seeking for food anew.
As said, hummingbirds' fast metabolisms drive their caloric needs. Their heart can beat 1,200 times per minute, and they use a lot of energy. Hummingbirds burn food faster and must eat almost constantly to maintain their weight.
Humans would need 300 hamburgers a day to meet hummingbird needs. Our social life would change as we spent most of our time finding and eating hamburgers.