curious hummer behavior

[Ron Bolton]

I was streamside at the St Vrain River, which was running quite strongly. I observed a hummingbird perhaps hawking for insects on the wing over the stream surface.

Intuitively this seems like an inefficient way to get calories. But it was remarkable to observe.

Comments?

Ron Bolton

Berthoud.

[David Suddjian]

This is a common foraging behavior for Broad-tailed Hummingbirds (and perhaps others) -- feeding on insects over ponds and streams. I've observed females doing this most often. They are really good at it and in certain conditions they do a lot of it, so it seems to work well as a foraging strategy. It is, as you say, remarkable to watch.

David Suddjian

Littleton, CO

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