<P> With the exception of insects , hummingbirds while in flight have the highest metabolism of all animals -- a necessity to support the rapid beating of their wings during hovering and fast forward flight . Their heart rate can reach as high as 1,260 beats per minute , a rate once measured in a blue - throated hummingbird , with a breathing rate of 250 breaths per minute , even at rest . During flight , oxygen consumption per gram of muscle tissue in a hummingbird is about 10 times higher than that measured in elite human athletes . </P>
<P> With the exception of insects , hummingbirds while in flight have the highest metabolism of all animals -- a necessity to support the rapid beating of their wings during hovering and fast forward flight . Their heart rate can reach as high as 1,260 beats per minute , a rate once measured in a blue - throated hummingbird , with a breathing rate of 250 breaths per minute , even at rest . During flight , oxygen consumption per gram of muscle tissue in a hummingbird is about 10 times higher than that measured in elite human athletes . </P>
how many times does a hummingbird heartbeat per minute
how many times does a hummingbird heartbeat per minute
1,260 beats per minute
1,260 beats per minute