Bird migration myth a real humdinger

[snopes]

Have you ever wondered how our smallest birds, the hummingbirds, are able to migrate thousands of miles between their nesting grounds here in the Northwest and their wintering grounds as far away as South America?

I had always considered some of the explanations I had heard as folklore or myth – although no less probable than the idea of these tiny birds actually flying all that distance on their own. The main means of transport that I have heard suggested is that they ride on the backs of larger birds.

There long has been speculation – but no proof – that hummingbirds ride on vultures during their incredible migrations. Vultures are large with gentle soaring flight. Hummingbirds have small, weak feet, so I was never certain how they could hold on, but such a trip was relatively easy to imagine. Many people know it to be a fact. I have had questions asked about it many times.

http://www.spokesmanreview.com/local....asp?ID=181762