Animated gifs made with photos taken in 2011
My animated gifs are simply photos suggesting motion - not intended to show the exact movement of a hummingbird's wing movement which is about 50 flaps per second
The adult male Ruby-throated attempted to scare the immature male from the feeder and then decided to yank him from the feeder by using his bill to grab feathers and pull.
The immature just ignored the adult and continued eating as the adult backed away and left.
In this gif you can see the hummingbird use his bill to capture an insect for some protein.
Hummingbirds eat small spiders, gnats, fruit flies and other very small insects for their protein. They can not survive on sugar water/nectar alone - they must also eat insects to survive.
Adult male Ruby-throated Hummingbird enjoying some nectar from a honeysuckle bloom
Adult female Ruby-throated Hummingbird hovering in between visits to the feeder
Hummingbird Salvia (Lady in Red) and definitely should be called hummingbird salvia because of the hummingbird-look of this salvia's blooms.
Hummingbird enjoying a Hummingbird Shrub bloom.
Cape Fuchsia "Yellow Trumpet" bloom providing some nectar for this hummingbird
