Trochilidae

Watching hummingbirds is a breathtaking experience. There are enough clues that they are birds, but so much else of what they do is so completely wacko. They come in psychedelic packaging. They fly backwards, and they can hover in one place. Their acceleration and deceleration are barely within the bounds of physical laws. They flap their wings so fast that all you can see of them are two blurs. And yes, you can hear the humming. All those adaptations are designed to capture the nectar market, but they are so energy intensive that the birds have to go into a state of torpor when they rest. In the remaining time they have to ingest twice their body weight's worth of food.

15 unique species photographed in this family

Long-tailed Sylph Hummingbird (Male)

Very hard to differentiate between the long-tailed Sylph and the Purple-tailed. Not sure if this is the right ID

Hummingbird,Very hard to differentiate between the long-tailed Sylph and the Purple-tailed. Not sure if this is the right ID

White-bellied Woodstar Hummingbird (Female)

Hummingbird,

Lesser Violetear Hummingbird

Hummingbird,

Brown Inca Hummingbird

Hummingbird,

Andean Emerald Hummingbird

Hummingbird,

Green and White Hummingbird

Hummingbird,

Purple-bibbed Whitetip Hummingbird

Hummingbird,

Green-crowned Brilliant Hummingbird (Male)

Hummingbird,

Brown Violet-ear Hummingbird

Hummingbird,

White-necked Jacobin Hummingbird

Hummingbird,

Fawn-breasted Brilliant Hummingbird

Hummingbird,

Anna's Hummingbird

Anna's Hummingbird hovering over a shrub in the Audobon Center near Dungeness River.

Hummingbird,Anna's Hummingbird hovering over a shrub in the Audobon Center near Dungeness River.

Violet-purple Coronet Hummingbird

Hummingbird,

Rufous-tailed Hummingbird

Hummingbird,

Green-crowned Woodnymph Hummingbird

Shot from the famous Yellow House at Mindo.

Hummingbird,Shot from the famous Yellow House at Mindo.