50 Stunning Hummingbird Pictures You Need to See
Updated: Apr. 06, 2023
It's a magical moment you snap hummingbird pictures. Here are some amazing pictures of hummingbirds captured on camera.
It’s a magical moment when a hummingbird zips through your backyard or stops at your sugar-water feeder for a snack. From a ruby-throated hummingbird enjoying a refreshing rain shower to a male Anna’s hummingbird territorially puffing himself up, we’ve gathered together some of our favorite, jaw-dropping hummingbird pictures from Birds & Blooms readers. You can submit your own hummingbird pictures to us using our submission form. Enjoy!
Amazing Hummingbird Pictures
I keep a bubbling jar fountain in the middle of my garden that attracts many different birds. Some of my favorite birds to watch splash around are hummingbirds. This young male Anna’s hummingbird visited a few days in a row in June, each time inspecting the fountain a little bit closer. Finally, he decided to be brave and truly dive into the water. I was happy to catch him in action!
Jaklyn Larsen of Florence, Oregon
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Hummingbird at Bee Balm
I captured this wonderful image of a female ruby-throated hummingbird while at the Stony Creek Metropark Nature Center in Shelby Township, Michigan. The experience inspired my family and me to grow a fairly large patch of scarlet bee balm in our hummingbird garden.
Sharon Sauriol of Washington, Michigan
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Stick Out Your Tongue
This juvenile male ruby-throated hummingbird kept coming back to this rose of Sharon bud to rest briefly. After a few attempts, I finally got a hummingbird photo with his tongue, which appeared for a split second. He seemed to be quite comfortable in my presence.
Vanessa Woodlock of Goldsboro, North Carolina
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Perfect Perch
This male Anna’s appeared in my backyard in Southern California. He has many perching spots in my yard, but he came out to guard the top of the hedges this day. I used a Canon EOS 6D Mark II camera to take this hummingbird photo.
Monica Slack of El Cajon, California
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Spring Migration
The calliope hummingbird is a rare summer migrant to the urban areas of San Diego. When a male was spotted close to where I live, I went repeatedly to the area of the sighting to perform a stakeout. I finally got a glimpse of this beautiful bird just long enough to snap a couple of hummingbird photos of it visiting white sage flowers. It’s the only calliope hummingbird I’ve ever seen.
Aicha Ennaciri of San Diego California
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Hummingbird and Hibiscus
Each August we stay with our friend in Bethany Beach, Delaware, to take hummingbird photos. We had hoped that the fast fliers would go for her hibiscus flowers, but the whole time we were there, no dice. I started to pack up my camera equipment to leave when this ruby-throated showed up!
Suzanne Cassidy of Hughesville, Maryland
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Strike a Pose
My husband hangs several hummingbird feeders every year from a long wire across our deck. For this photo I was using a new Canon telephoto lens on my camera, which was mounted on a tripod. Hoping to get a good shot of a male ruby-throated who had his wings out, just daring another hummer to come close, I snapped a series of photos to get this particular one.
Felice Bond of Williamsburg, Virginia
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Buzz Off
This female black-chinned hummingbird was attempting to drink sugar water from the feeder hanging in our front yard when a wasp decided it also wanted some. The photo shows the anxiety and frustration coming from both the hummingbird and the wasp as they attempted to use the sugar-water feeder at the same time.
Ginny Phillips of Prescott, Arizona
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Anna’s Hummingbird in the Rain
This hummingbird photo was taken on a rainy day. Anna’s hummingbirds often stretch before flight if they’ve sat for 10 minutes or longer. This guy put on a terrific show, and I happened to be in the right place with a camera and a nice background.
Elijah Gildea of Redding, California
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Hummingbird in the Birdbath
This precious jewel of nature was ready to take a bath. I took this hummingbird photo in the early hours of the morning, not during the high heat of the day. Hummingbirds like to clean their bills from all that sticky nectar and pollen and also wash off their feathers to keep fresh and clean.
Gilberto Sanchez of Orlando, Florida
Psst—this is the only homemade hummingbird nectar recipe you need.
Hummingbird Garden
I was weeding my garden when a broad-tailed hummingbird came to visit the flowers next to me. I usually have my camera with me, so I quickly grabbed it and snapped as many photos as I could before this little guy zipped away. The flier mostly stayed on the side, where I couldn’t see it, but for a few seconds it came perfectly into view.
Sonja Puhek of Colorado Springs, Colorado
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Flag and Hummingbird
Shortly after hanging our American flag on our deck, this male ruby-throated hummingbird flew in front of it to the feeder. It captured my patriotic heart, so I ran for my camera to take a hummingbird photo of two of my favorite things together: our flag waving in the breeze and a lovely hummingbird in flight.
Barbara Reams of Pinckney, Michigan
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Hummingbird Nest
In late spring, I was lucky enough to find an Anna’s hummingbird nest with two newly hatched babies. Over the course of about three weeks, I visited the nest often and documented the progress of the family with my camera. In this moment, Mama was just returning to her nest of two well-fed babies, both with beaks wide open in anticipation of their next meal.
Paul Marto of West Jordan, Utah
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Red Flowers
Cardinal flowers rely heavily on ruby-throated hummingbirds for pollination. As a hummingbird’s forehead comes in contact with a bloom, it unknowingly collects the pollen, which the hummingbird then hopefully carries to another cardinal flower bloom.
Laurie Dirkx of Ontario, New York
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Hummingbird Haven
“Every summer I try to get to a local preserve frequented by ruby-throated hummingbirds. It’s a good place to meet other photographers. I saw this lovely hummingbird on a bright sunny day,” says Robert Kaplan of Roslyn Heights, New York.
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Golden Glow
“This rufous hummingbird was aggressively guarding the feeder we had just put out. But he sure was a joy to watch, with his brilliant orange gorget shining in the sunlight,” says Deborah Whiting of Midland, Texas.
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Spectacular Colors
“I’d been trying to get hummingbird pictures of a bird sitting on a branch with a nice background for a very long time. I was really excited when this male broad-billed hummingbird perched so close to me,” says Jane Miller of Tucson, Arizona.
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Gardening for Birds
“Some of my best photos are taken right in my backyard. I plant perennials and annuals that specifically draw in the birds and bees. I love this shot of a female ruby-throated hummingbird,” says Jenny Miner of Irma, Wisconsin.
Hidden Hummingbird
“As I was hiding behind a weigela shrub, trying to take hummingbird pictures, I saw this juvenile Anna’s sitting inside of the plant. I felt so fortunate to capture it,” says Donna Ruiz of Cameron Park, California.
Rare as a White Ruby
“As I was getting ready to go to work, a friend called me and told me a white ruby-throated hummingbird was spotted in a neighboring county. It turned out to be almost completely leucistic, making it even more special!” says Kenny Nations of Heber Springs, Arkansas.
Flying Jewel
“I took 30 photos of this beautiful female broad-tailed hummingbird as she sipped nectar from my Cold Hardy Pink salvia. I am blessed to see these flying jewels from about mid-July to the first week of October each year,” says Linda Minns of Goodwell, Oklahoma.
Hummingbird Nest
“A female broad-tailed hummingbird has nested in the same place in our front yard for three years now. I can watch from our office window as she raises her young,” says Carol Galloway of Centennial, Colorado. Learn about the life of a female hummingbird.
Nature’s Beauty
“This photograph was taken in Balboa Park in San Diego, California. The park has an extensive series of gardens that attract hummingbirds. One spring morning, I came upon this Allen’s hummingbird. These birds quickly move from flower to flower feeding on nectar, but this one seemed to be pausing to take in the beauty that surrounded him,” says Stuart Allison of Coronado, California.
Backyard Visitor
“I captured this photo of a female Anna’s hummingbird at a Rockin’ Deep Purple salvia. I live in the Skagit Valley and usually can photograph Anna’s in my backyard all year,” says Jamie Bartram of Sedro-Woolley, Washington. Check out the top 10 purple flowers that attract hummingbirds.
Favorite Flowers
“My favorite birds to photograph are hummingbirds. I’m so glad they love the rose of Sharon bush outside near my deck,” says Karen Smith of Nashville, Tennessee.
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Close Encounter
“While I was sitting in my sunroom, this beautiful ruby-throated hummingbird perched on a limb of a hemlock tree nearby. I happened to have my camera, and I was able to get many wonderful shots,” says Steven Deam of Fort Wayne, Indiana.
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Costa Rica Hummingbirds
“I went to Costa Rica, where there are around 60 hummingbird species, and I saw more than a dozen during my trip. These are green-crowned brilliants. I’ve since gone to Ecuador and Panama to photograph even more,” says Paul Lawson of New Carlisle, Indiana.
Fancy Feathers
“We are lucky enough to have Costa’s hummingbirds year-round. Recently, this gorgeous male perched outside our kitchen window every day for about two weeks. As if on cue, he would wait for me to come to the window with my camera,” says Carla Ritter of Ivins, Utah.
Migration Majesty
“This female ruby-throated hummingbird sipped the sweet nectar of a red pentas plant. I am blessed to these birds during their fall migration, and I have many plants that attract them,” says Rhonda Cantu of Rockport, Texas.
Leucistic Hummingbird
A leucistic Anna’s hummingbird visited the Australian Garden at the UCSC Arboretum, a public garden about 60 miles from my home. I love hummingbirds, so I had to drive there to see this rare bird for myself. I’d heard that seeing it was hit or miss, but I got extremely lucky. The bird streaked across the sky like a white bullet, then hovered over the blossoms in front of me. Wow! As my heart raced, I took as many hummingbird photos as I could until it sped off as fast as it had flown in! I’ve been back to look for it many times since that day. Sometimes I’ve seen it and sometimes I haven’t, but each time I do, I’m still in awe at the sight—and grateful that it graced me with its presence.
Sally Rae Kimmel Lafayette, California
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Vibrant Calliope Hummingbird
This male calliope was the first arrival of the year, stopping by our backyard in mid-April. During the colder spring weather, he would perch on this stick close to the feeder. The blurry pink background in this hummingbird photo is thanks to our crabapple tree, which was in full bloom across the yard.
Bill Bolster Medical Lake, Washington
Ruby-Throated Cutie
While I was watering the flowers, I noticed the hummingbirds were sitting on the wet leaves and splashing around. I loved watching them so much, I set the hose up to keep spraying the leaves. Then I went to get the camera to start taking hummingbird photos. This was a young ruby-throated hummingbird bathing on the gerbera daisy leaves.
Mary Ann Bowyer Vesuvius, Virginia
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Hummingbird at a Feeder
My wife decided she wanted to have hummingbirds in our backyard, so she went to a local bird store and bought this feeder. I thought there was no way it was going to work, but within a week, there was a hummingbird! Photographing these fast little creatures was a challenge. In the beginning, my shots were really bad, but I’d try a different technique each time, and ended up getting this shot. Practice really does make perfect.
Robert Shepler Sylvania, Ohio
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Hovering in Flight
The sun was peeking over the tree line, and I stood with a cup of coffee watching God’s creation unfold. The bloom on the orchid cactus my sister gave me was opening, so I wanted a picture of it to send to her. Right then, a hummingbird flitted over to check out the flower. With the sun shining perfectly on the bloom, I captured this wonderful moment.
Patrick Henderson Matthews, North Carolina
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Praying Mantis Alert
I thought it was strange that this hummingbird kept circling this flower but never landed. Then I noticed the praying mantis hiding beneath the bloom. I quickly (and safely) moved the mantis to another location so the hummingbird could land on the flower without fear.
Michele Carter Newport, North Carolina
Native Plants
There was a lot of congestion at the feeders one summer evening, but this female ruby-throated hummingbird waited on a black-eyed Susan until all the drama at the “water cooler” was over before taking her turn. I’ve seen hummingbirds in trees and on feeder perches and posts, but this was the first time I’d witnessed one using a black-eyed Susan as a resting place.
Jon Montgomery Du Quoin, Illinois
Refreshing Rain
One rainy Saturday morning, my husband and I noticed a ruby-throated hummingbird relishing the rain. These birds are usually in motion, so it was a peaceful sight to see this hummingbird perched contentedly, neck stretched with its head to the sky, truly enjoying the moment. I snapped these hummingbird pictures through our kitchen window. I love the idea that this little bird was stopping to enjoy the cool rain!
Mary Meyer Eyota, Minnesota
Female Rufous Hummingbird
Ever vigilant, this female rufous guarded the feeder in my yard, attacking other rufous and black-chinned hummingbirds with unbridled alacrity, then returning to this perch as lookout. What makes these hummingbird pictures special is her protruding tongue, which shows a flash of the beautiful bird’s personality.
Allen Livingston Huntington, Utah
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Hummingbird Swing
I made this hummingbird swing and placed it between two sugar-water feeders. The hummingbirds wouldn’t go near it until I took the feeders down. Eventually, I put the feeders back up, and one young hummingbird liked the swing so much, he declared himself the boss and used his perfect vantage point to chase
off all the other hungry hummers.
Idella Pearl Edwards Marion, Illinois
Male Costa’s Hummingbird
This male Costa’s hummingbird is actually guarding “his” feeder. Any time another Costa’s, black-chinned or Anna’s would land on the feeder, he would dash out from his hiding place in this pomegranate bush, scare away his competition and return to the exact same branch every time. His stubbornness made it easy for me to set up my camera, aim and get several good pictures.
Carla Ritter Ivins, Utah
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Calliope Hummingbird at Feeder
Last spring, I set up feeders in the hopes of finally attaining my dream of having a hummingbird-friendly backyard. Within a few days, I had my first visitors, but my next challenge was to photograph them. I spent hours patiently waiting to get the perfect shot. The day I took these hummingbird pictures, the sun was filtering through the trees in the neighbor’s backyard, creating a stunning backdrop. A lone male calliope took his position at the feeder, and with a few quick clicks of my camera, he was gone. But I got my shot!
Tiffany Hansen Spokane, Washington
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Showing Off
Male hummingbirds sure are territorial! One day, two of them were fighting for the same space in my backyard. I was watching the scene unfold when I saw this male Anna’s hummingbird all puffed out. I was so fortunate that I could capture the moment with my camera.
Lynne McClure Vancouver, Washington
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Hummingbird Blooms
Growing up in the city, I never really saw a hummingbird up close. Once I moved to the suburbs, I started planting flowers in my backyard. The hummingbirds absolutely love the bee balm, and it’s exciting to see them come back every year. Now I’m adding even more plants to attract as many hummingbirds as I can!
Carmen Rugel Middletown, Rhode Island
Tiny Bird in a Tree
This lovely male Anna’s hummingbird was perched in a pomegranate tree in my neighbor’s backyard. He was fiercely guarding the feeder that hung nearby. When any other birds approached, he chased them away, then flew back to his perch. Hummingbirds are so small, yet so aggressive when protecting their territory. I admired this little guy’s persistence in guarding his spot. The look in his eye shows a lot of strength for such a small bird. He has the eye of the tiger!
Robin Hardin Los Alamos, California
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Red and Green
This male ruby-throated hummingbird was extremely friendly last summer. We took this photo in our flower garden last year. It was late in the evening, which is when this guy would sit a lot and luckily, we were able to get pretty close to him for these hummingbird pictures. After he left, a younger, much more aggressive, male hummer came along. We sure enjoyed our up-close interactions with him while they lasted.
Dennis McNeill Clio, Michigan
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Wing Speed
Hummingbirds are difficult to photograph because they move so quickly. But I managed to get this rufous looking right at me while I captured the movement of its wings.
Maralee Park Bend, Oregon
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Nectar Lovers
Gladiolas are one of my all-time favorite summer blooms, and while I was taking pictures of the ones in my garden, I noticed I had company. A juvenile ruby-throated hummingbird was also interested in the blooms! I shouldn’t have been too surprised because hummingbirds like the color red, but it really brought a smile to my face.
Patty Jennings Stacyville, Maine
By the Dozen
These ruby-throats come back to my front yard every year, and I love to sit and watch them. Occasionally, things really get out of hand when 15 or so try to feed at the same time.
Clatis Tew Butler, Alabama
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Beautiful Hummingbird
Southern California is drought-stricken, and water-wise plants, like this aloe plant are encouraged. Luckily, hummingbirds are frequent visitors to the aloe blooms alongside my driveway. The perfect combination of wildlife and drought-tolerant plants makes an amazing photo op!
Koji Kanemoto Long Beach, California
Double the Fun
I took these hummingbird pictures in a Utah park. There were several feeders and more than 20 hummingbirds zipping around. These birds tend to be elusive, flying away before you can get a good look at them. Having so many in one spot allowed for this interesting shot with another bird out of focus in the background. These birds are like magic, and each time I look at the hummingbird photos I’ve taken of them, I remember hearing the unique sound of their wings and bodies cutting through the air.
Helene Bushnell Lowell, Massachusetts
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Originally Published: March 22, 2022
