Pete Oxford / Sparkling violetear hummingbird (Colibri coruscans) at base of Chimborazo Volcano (Highest mountain in Ecuador), Andes, Ecuador, South America

B&S Draker / Three Black-chinned Hummingbird (Archilochus alexandri) females feeding on Texas thistle (Cirsium texanum). Sinton, Corpus Christi, Coastal Bend, Texas, USA, May.

Rolf Nussbaumer / Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris), male in flight feeding on flower. Hill Country, Central Texas, USA, August.

Pete Oxford / Sword-billed Hummingbird (Ensifera ensifera), the only species of bird to have a bill longer than the rest of its body, approaching a flower. Yanacocha Reserve, Ecuador.

Pete Oxford / Silhouette of a Sword-billed Hummingbird (Ensifera ensifera), the only species of bird to have a bill longer than the rest of its body. Yanacocha Reserve cloud forest, Ecuador.

Diane McAllister / Male Anna's hummingbird (Calypte anna) hovers in mid-air looking at the camera in a backyard in Reno. Nevada, USA, August

Diane McAllister / Rufous hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus) drinking nectar from an Agastache bloom in a backyard in Reno. Nevada, USA, August

Mary McDonald / Violet Sabrewing Hummingbird (Campylopterus hemileucurus) male hovering at feeder, Bosque de Paz, Costa Rica, Central America.

Nick Garbutt / Sword-billed Hummingbird (Ensifera ensifera). Yanacocha montane forest, Ecuador. May.

Shattil & Rozinski / Broad-tailed hummingbird (Selasphorus platycercus) hovering over Rocky Mountain Irises (Iris missouriensis) flowering in pasture, Wyoming, USA, North America

Rolf Nussbaumer / Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) female feeding on flowering Texas Paintbrush (Castilleja indivisa) Fennessey Ranch, Refugio, Coastal Bend, Texas Coast, USA

Rolf Nussbaumer / Blue-throated Hummingbird (Lampornis clemenciae) male feeding on flowering Claret Cup Cactus (Echinocereus triglochidiatus) Chisos Basin, Chisos Mountains, Big Bend National Park, Chihuahuan Desert, W...