The Hummingbird

Incredibly fast and yet so tiny Dressed in feathers that refract the sunlight Radiating such colourful beauty Producing a true birdwatcher's delight Suspending a living feathery mass Wings beating at eighty times per second Create a blur which for a short time lasts Then in an instant later it is gone Busily sipping each flower's nectar As you rapidly flit from bloom to bloom Viewing you in your glorious splendour Chases away any feelings of gloom A true master of acrobatic flight Forward, backward and even upside down What a marvellous captivating sight Leaving the viewer speechless and spellbound All bedecked in luminescent feathers Blessed with a spectacular flying mode Radiating such beautiful colours That is the magic of the hummingbird Trinidad, my native island, is also called the “Land of the Hummingbird” because more than sixteen different species of hummingbird have been recorded on the island. The indigenous Native Americans, the Arawaks, named the island, "Iere", which, in their language, means "Land of the Hummingbird". Two hummingbirds are shown on the island's coat of arms.