View allAll Photos Tagged Hummingbird
They have really fast reaction times. It was simply perched until it heard my shutter begin to move, and this is how far it had gotten by the time it was actually open. Wow.
I was messing around in the garden, using an extension tube with my inexpensive 50mm lens to take macro shots. After awhile, a hummingbird showed up, so I took the tube off my lens and proceeded with a mostly futile attempt to capture an image of the little speed freak. I forgot that my camera was set on a slow shutter speed, so most of the shots I took were crap. I think I got 2 good ones out of about 60 shots *after* I remembered to adjust the shutter speed. Doh!
Allen's Hummingbird, 1/125 Sec
Camera: Pentax K20D
Lens: Pentax SMC-A* 200mm f2.8
Aperture: f8, ISO: 400
Range: North, Central, and South America
Habitat: Wide variety of habitats, from sea level up to 16,500 feet (5,000 meters)
Little birds with big appeal
Hummingbirds include the smallest birds in the world, but they belong to one of the largest group of birds, the Trochilidae family. These enchanting birds are found in deserts, mountains, and plains, but most live in tropical rain forests. Their name refers to the humming sound made by their tiny, beating wings; each species creates a different humming sound, depending on the speed of its wing beats. In the Caribbean, people call the hummingbird el zunzun. These energetic dynamos have been around for ages; hummingbird fossils found in Germany are said to be more than 30 million years old.
There are 328 hummingbird species. The smallest is the bee hummingbird from Cuba, and the largest is the giant hummingbird from South America. Hummingbird bills come in different sizes and shapes, too. The long, slender bill is adapted to collect nectar from flowers. The bill protects the long, split tongue and allows each hummingbird species to feed from specific types of flowers. Hummingbirds are called nectivores, because about 90 percent of their diet is the nectar from flowers. They also snack on insects, which they often catch by “hawking.” A hummingbird “hawks” insects by flying and diving to snap them up out of the air.
Hummingbirds are small, colorful birds with iridescent feathers. Their name comes from the fact that they flap their wings so fast (about 80 times per second) that they make a humming noise. Hummingbirds can fly right, left, up, down, backwards, and even upside down. They are also able to hover by flapping their wings in a figure-8 pattern. They have a specialized long and tapered bill that is used to obtain nectar from the center of long, tubular flowers. The hummingbird’s feet are used for perching only, and are not used for hopping or walking.
Range: North, Central, and South America
Habitat: Wide variety of habitats, from sea level up to 16,500 feet (5,000 meters)
Little birds with big appeal
Hummingbirds include the smallest birds in the world, but they belong to one of the largest group of birds, the Trochilidae family. These enchanting birds are found in deserts, mountains, and plains, but most live in tropical rain forests. Their name refers to the humming sound made by their tiny, beating wings; each species creates a different humming sound, depending on the speed of its wing beats. In the Caribbean, people call the hummingbird el zunzun. These energetic dynamos have been around for ages; hummingbird fossils found in Germany are said to be more than 30 million years old.
There are 328 hummingbird species. The smallest is the bee hummingbird from Cuba, and the largest is the giant hummingbird from South America. Hummingbird bills come in different sizes and shapes, too. The long, slender bill is adapted to collect nectar from flowers. The bill protects the long, split tongue and allows each hummingbird species to feed from specific types of flowers. Hummingbirds are called nectivores, because about 90 percent of their diet is the nectar from flowers. They also snack on insects, which they often catch by “hawking.” A hummingbird “hawks” insects by flying and diving to snap them up out of the air.
Ruby-throated Hummingbirds fly straight and fast but can stop instantly, hover, and adjust their position up, down, or backwards with exquisite control. They often visit hummingbird feeders and tube-shaped flowers and defend these food sources against others. You may also see them plucking tiny insects from the air or from spider webs.
We attached a feeder to the living room window hoping to draw some visitors, and haven't been disappointed.
Visiting Arizona in March provides plenty of opportunities to photograph hummingbirds. This Black-chinned male is a cousin of our Ruby-throated.