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Stunning Hummingbird Close-Ups Reveal Their True Beauty (20 pics)

When you hear a bird being described as ‘strong’ or ‘beautiful,’ your mind may conjure up images of a fierce eagle, or a tropical parrot.

This is understandable, but both these birds will find a strong contender in hummingbirds.

We share with you some of the internets best close up hummingbird photos, as well as some interesting facts. Please enjoy:

Green-Crowned Brilliant Hummingbird

Image credits: Chris Morgan

Hummingbirds possess a unique type of delicate beauty that is like no other.

Wine-Throated Hummingbird

Image credits: Knut Eisermann

They are masters at flying manoeuvres. They are the only bird that can hover and fly backwards.

Rufous Hummingbird

Image credits: ideiasedicas.com

Hummingbirds can flap their wings between 50-80 beats per second, making them a literal blur to the human eye.

Costa’s Hummingbird

Image credits: imgur.com

This means that capturing a clear photo of their wings in flight can be very difficult.

Rufous Hummingbird

Image credits: don-tbugme.blogspot.com

They flap their wings in a figure of 8 pattern, this gives them the ability to hover.

Marvelous Spatuletail

Image credits: Max Waugh

When they dive, they can flap their wings up to 200 times per second!

Fiery-throated Hummingbird

Image credits: Mauro Roman

This is actually where their name comes from; their wings beat so fast that they make a humming noise.

Rufous Hummingbird

Image credits: don-tbugme.blogspot.com

Their metabolism is just as speedy as their wings, and their weight can change drastically over the day as they eat and burn up energy

Violet-Crowned Woodnymph

Image credits: stevetaboneblog.com

Because of this, they consume anywhere between half to 8 times of their weight in sugar daily,

Rufous Hummingbird

Image credits: MrClean1982

The average hummingbird feeds 5-8 times per hour, thats a lot of their waking day spent feeding!

Violet Sabrewing Hummingbird

Image credits: Larry

Their hearts can beat over 1200 times per minute!

Anna’s Hummingbird

Image credits: Good-e-Nuf

Fiery-Throated Hummingbird

Image credits: Cyn Vargas

Wine-Throated Hummingbird

Image credits: José Antonio Yee

Fiery-Throated Hummingbird

Image credits: Alvaro Cubero Vega

Fiery-Throated Hummingbird

Image credits: Alvaro Cubero

Anna’s Hummingbird

Image credits: Catsbow

Rufous Hummingbird

Image credits: Scott Bechtel

Unspecified

Image credits: Alexis Coram

Unspecified

Image credits: Phatography

Written by Joe Kahlo

After years of writing in the financial industry, Joe was finally able to focus his writing on what he loves, Animals!