IV. Greeting, the Hummingbird Way

Hummingbirds come to the feeder and shrub in different ways.  Sometimes, the arrival is quiet and smooth, but sometimes an all-out war.  The jittery nature does not always mean war as the all-out war is rare and always initiated by the incoming bird already with an intention to pick a fight.  The non-aggressive arrival also depends on whether a big (10 or more) birds already on the feeder, or just a few on feeder or shrub. The latter is where it will result in a face-to-face encounter “greeting”.  The greeting is in fact more like “checking each other out” and posturing.  The face-to-face encounter can take the form of jittery reaction, inquisition, hovering, interrogation, or even outward hostility.  Once a bird knows the intention of the other bird, it could lead to a fight with both leaving the post, or a more peaceful outcome that one bird leaving without a fight, or both birds staying and “happily ever after”, i.e. until next encounter. Some images suggest that the birds would hover to ask for permission to join, even though not always successful.​ It is this face-to-face encounter that shows how hummingbirds adorably articulate their eyes and body to convey a message  The face-to-face encounter takes place in a matter of seconds, but it could be as long as 30 seconds in the case of hover.

IV-A. On the way to the Feeder, Funny Things Happen…..
Hummingbirds have many ways to approach the feeders, also many ways to greet the incoming.

IV-B.  BFF Happily Sharing a Spigot
These two birds are clearly not twins, but are they love birds or BFF? They seemed to know each other from somewhere else.  This warm welcome is rarely observed.  They are two happy and content birds.

IV-C.  Birds on Shrub Say Hello
Birds on shrub have friendly interactions, but also hostile encounters. 

IV-D. Greeting, 360 Degree
Hummingbird has been described as flexible like a fish.  The following image shows the bird’s head turned 360 degree to greet. Amazing flexibility.

IV-E. Greeting and the Straight Line 
One of the staples of hummingbird behavior is the straight line between two beaks.  These images again show, despite both bodies are orienting at high speed, the straight line is maintained.

IV-F. Fake Greeting  
The innocent look can be deceiving.  This orange bird was not so happy on a cold winter morning and kept chasing many birds.  When the tail is articulated while perched, it is a bad sign of aggression.  The bird was ready to attack.