Please forgive me for shamelessly reposting this report that was initially published in August of 2013.

Whoohoo! An update to this post: Today, The Idaho Statesman reports that hummingbird banding projects across the country are paying off with new understandings and fresh questions about the life of a hummingbird. It is becoming clear that the life span of hummingbirds is much longer than the two to three years originally assumed. And a new-to-Idaho species, the Anna’s hummingbird, has made several appearances. The crucial missing link in this long-term research is active bird-banding at the migration destinations in Mexico and Central America.

Between May and September, hummingbirds are on the move across Idaho. At least three species of these itsy-bitsy birdies—smallest bird species in the world—migrate from their winter range in Mexico to their breeding range in Alaska and back again.

The Intermountain Bird Observatory (IBO), a department of biological…