March 9th, 2021, 9:53AM / BY Lori Smith and Sara Hallager (Smithsonian s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute)
See Spot.
Spot is a ruby-throated hummingbird who lives at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington, D.C. But his story began just a short distance away in Virginia. Hummingbirds hatch from eggs the size of a small pea, and when Spot was just a young chick, he fell into a swimming pool and almost drowned.
Luckily, fate was on his side that day; he was scooped out of the water and rushed to a local bird rehabilitator. Due to the injuries Spot sustained from the fall, releasing him back into the wild was not an option. The rehabilitator contacted Bird House curator Sara Hallager and asked if the Zoo would be able to care for Spot. After securing the necessary permits, the team welcomed Spot into the Zoo’s collection in November 2016.