The Shocking Truth Why Hummingbirds Hover Right in Front of Your Face

Why does a hummingbird hover right in front of your face? It isn't lost. And it isn't about to attack you. It's checking you. I've watched hummingbirds for more than fifty years, and it still stops me every time. Today I'll walk you through the real reasons a hummingbird comes face to face with you. The color you're wearing. The bugs around your head. The bossy male guarding your feeder. And a memory that brings it back to the same spot every spring. Then we look at the engine behind the hover. About fifty-three wingbeats a second. A heart that can beat twenty times a second. And a nonstop flight across the Gulf of Mexico. Plus my simple, safe recipe for your feeder: one part white sugar, four parts water. No red dye. No honey. Change it every two or three days, and keep the feeder clean. Has a hummingbird ever hovered at your face? Tell me in the comments, and tell me what you were wearing. Want more birds at your feeder? Grab my free checklist: the 12 small changes that bring birds back to your yard. Facts checked with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology (All About Birds) and the National Audubon Society. Photo credits (Wikimedia Commons): Archilochus colubris (Male) – Joe Schneid, Louisville, Kentucky – CC BY 3.0 Ruby-throated hummingbird (50037150231) – U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Midwest Region – Public domain Ruby-throated hummingbird (50036626098) – U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Midwest Region – Public domain Ruby-throated hummingbird (50036621428) – U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Midwest Region – Public domain Ruby-throated hummingbird (50037668653) – U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Midwest Region – Public domain Ruby-throated hummingbird (50037694183) – U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Midwest Region – Public domain Ruby-throated hummingbird (50038520807) – U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Midwest Region – Public domain Trumpet Creeper Palmetto State Park Texas 2024 – Larry D. Moore – CC BY 4.0 Lobelia cardinalis - Cardinal Flower – Dr. Thomas G. Barnes, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service – Public domain Monarda didyma - thé d'oswego - bee balm (4756315541) – Charles de Mille-Isles – CC BY 2.0 Male Rufous Hummingbird – Forest Service Alaska Region, USDA – Public domain USFWS rufous male (23226632963) – USFWS - Pacific Region – Public domain 20131103 male anna's hummingbird DSCN5041 – CEKeech – CC0 Other images are illustrations made for this video. Chapters 0:00 Intro 0:56 Number 1: A good look at you 2:58 Number 2: The color you're wearing 4:57 Number 3: The bugs around your head 6:26 Number 4: The boss of your yard 8:40 Number 5: It remembers your yard 10:17 Number 6: The engine behind the hover 12:31 Number 7: The flight across the Gulf #backyardbirds #hummingbirds #rubythroatedhummingbird #birdwatching #hummingbirdfeeder #birds