Real life game of angry birds

[David LaPell]

On Saturday my wife and I were getting ready to head out for the day when she looked out the window and told me the hummingbirds at the feeder were acting strangely. I had my camera so I went out to take a look. Knowing that hummingbirds are fiercely territorial what I saw was that one was guarding the feeders from others approaching. They were buzzing around so much that they didn't even pay any attention to me, but I did have to back up. At one time I had four out there and it looked like an aerial dogfight with all of them buzzing, diving and running into one another (which reminds you of hitting a wooden fence post with a weed wacker. I did get a picture, though not a great one, of one hummingbird getting tangled with another, knocking it to the ground only a few feet in front of me and pinning it there for a few seconds. I ended up moving one feeder farther away and I got a third one this morning. They did let me get some great pics though.

 

[Mike Armstrong]

Great pix!

They are among the most territorial and combative birds, and when they find a good high-energy food source, they get really aggressive with each other. Mine (Allen's) will not only drive off other pairs of their own species, but also other hummingbird species. Plus skippers, butterflies, bees, and any other birds like house finches that occasionally try to get a wee sip!

 

[Rumrunner]

Wow, great shots.

 

[6gun]

Only fiercely territorial birds around my area are crows. :lol:

Those are really nice photo's you've taken, only humming birds I see around my house are just ugly kind of brown looking ones nothing purty as yours.