Hummingbird pictures

Hummingbird Takes Off

When a hummingbird takes off, it often appears to fly straight forward or straight up. We do not see a hummingbird make a big, obvious hop, followed by steady wing beats to gain altitude.

A hummingbird has relatively small leg muscles compared to other birds. A hummingbird does use its legs, but the powerful flight muscles in the chest do the most of the work. Those muscles, plus the hummingbird’s shoulder joints, make some dramatic take-offs possible.

A hummingbird can take off with power – sometimes flying straight forward, sometimes almost straight up. (This doesn’t mean a hummingbird won’t use gravity to start by dropping from a perch … it just doesn’t have to in the way some other birds do.)

Flying Forward

A male Allen's Hummingbird sits on a perch, looking to the side — Allen’s Hummingbird Perches

Hummingbird takes off from his perch, flying straight toward the camera — Allen’s Hummingbird Takes Off

Flying Up

An Anna's Hummingbird perches, looking up — Anna’s Hummingbird Perches

A hummingbird takes off from its perch — Anna’s Hummingbird Takes Off

And maybe this Anna’s Hummingbird had a strategy – look at the position of the twig in the second shot. It is slightly higher than when the hummingbird was on it.

We have noticed that a hummingbird will sometimes perch on a small twig that springs back as the bird takes off. Maybe a little extra boost on launch?

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Cold Hummingbird

It’s cold outside, and the hummingbirds feel it. Like other birds, a cold hummingbird fluffs its feathers to keep warm. The fluffed feathers trap warm air from the hummingbird’s body. This male Anna’s Hummingbird is perching so that his fluffed feathers also cover his feet.

We also notice that our resident Anna’s Hummingbirds always seem a little more round during the winter. They obviously gain weight. A layer of fat is good insulation and a good source of emergency energy.

We have not seen any hummingbirds in torpor here. But sometimes a cold hummingbird will sit on the feeder for a long time, not drinking, not looking around, just spacing out.

If you have hummingbirds over this winter, here is post about helping hummingbirds in cold weather by Sheri Williamson, author of a Field Guide to the Hummingbirds of North America (this book is one of our favorite guides – our hummingbird gift ideas shows more of our favorite resources).

Happy winter and stay warm!

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Hummingbird Can’t Wait

During migration, the feeders can get very crowded. Sometimes the hummingbirds wait their turn, hovering behind the feeder until a port opens up. On occasion, they share ports side by side. Sometimes they attack each other from behind or from the side. It appears very stressful for the birds.

This Hummingbird Can’t Wait

This hummingbird doesn’t hit the hummingbird on the perch from behind. The perched hummingbird does not flush off. But the hovering hummingbird can’t wait. It balances on the head of the perched bird and reaches over to feed.

A perched hummingbird crouches while a hovering hummingbird balances on its head to reach the feeder — Balancing on Another Hummingbird’s Head

Allen’s Hummingbird in his Flowers

This Allen’s Hummingbird was guarding a patch of Salvia flowers.

In the Flowers …

Picture of an Allen's Hummingbird in his flowers — Allen’s Hummingbird

Allen’s Hummingbirds were busy in two large flower beds of Salvia and Bird of Paradise. There were at least two adult males in the area and an adult female. But we had no idea what their actual numbers were – there was too much chasing.

These Allen’s were in the Newport area of Southern California, close to the ocean. We saw them feed from these Salvia and also from the Lily of the Nile, another purple colored flower. This is a good example of local flowers that attract hummingbirds even if the flowers are not red in color.

As usual with the Allen’s Hummingbirds, they vocalized at each other. They were often easier to hear than to see.

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Hummingbird GIF

Gorget Feathers – Allen’s Hummingbird GIF

This hummingbird GIF shows how light on a hummingbird’s gorget can change how we see the color. This Allen’s Hummingbird was guarding his patch of flowers in Southern California.

An Allen's Hummingbird turns his head in this animated GIF. His gorget feathers look dark brown, then bright orange. — Click to see him turn his head

Stretching …

Here’s something a hummingbird does slowly – stretching.

Coming in for a Landing GIF

Below is a series of pictures showing a hummingbird approaching, then landing on a feeder. Just for fun, we put these pictures into an animated hummingbird GIF.

Hummingbird GIF file shows a series of photos of a hummingbird coming to land on a feeder. — Click to see the landing

The photos are of an Anna’s Hummingbird, taken at the Boyce Thompson Arboretum during the spring of 2014. Several other hummingbirds were using the feeder on that day, including males. This bird was a little nervous on its approach, touching down, then backing away, then down.