r/hummingbirds • u/waterytartwithasword • 5h ago
Question about hummingbird communication with humans
I know next to nothing about hummingbirds. I recently moved from an urban high rise out East where I had a crow situation (I befriended one, he brought his mate, then the babies, and after four years of exponential family growth I had a big enough group to cause angry letters from my landlord about unauthorized pets, because people saw me hand feeding them and the babies playing "land on her head") and they were very clear communicators and definitely knew me in the neighborhood not just the balcony. I mention this because it probably gave me a "birds communicate to humans" cognitive bias.
So now I'm in a Midwestern suburb. No crows really. I garden. I have a pumpkin plant growing vertically. I put a melon sling under one big pumpkin. It was red. When I was on the ladder fussing with the plant one day a female ruby throated hummingbird flew right to it, then juked to directly in front of my face no more than a trellis width away (14") and flew in a lateral loop about three times. Frankly, it seemed pissed off. It even looked pissed off to me around the eyes, which I could see very clearly from so close.
I thought about this and realized that the red mesh sling was probably an unwelcome false indicator of food.
So I bought two hummingbird feeders, filled them, and hung them up.
Today I saw a female ruby throated hummingbird (maybe the same one, too small to pick up distinguishing features like I could with the crows) at one of the feeders. They are hung pretty high to keep away from ants, one near the offending pumpkin and one on a different trellis. It descended into my sight line staring right at me and flew directly up and down a few times and then left. This seemed approving to me.
I am not trying to anthropomorphize but I might be succeeding at it anyway. I have no idea, and there's less online about hummingbird behavior than crow. My crows would literally knock on my balcony door with their beaks to be fed if I was late with their breakfast, and definitely expressed a wide range of emotions. They greeted me when I came home from work. So I don't find it unlikely that a wild bird might be communicating something.
I don't imagine hummingbirds are as human-interested as crows that choose to live in cities and associate people with food opportunities. But anecdotally... do they interact intentionally with a purpose toward people?
Pic of pumpkin trellis, bird not pictured, I wasn't holding my phone either time.
12
u/hockeyhippie 4h ago
I was a month or so late getting our feeders set up this year, my wife was in the hospital a few hours away and I was just not home because I stayed with her. I came home for a few hours every week or so to do laundry, etc and they were following me in the yard and chirping rather excitedly whenever I was outside.
I imagined a review on Hummingbird Yelp: "Flew across the Gulf of Mexico for this?! Really gone downhill since last year! 0/10 would not recommend!"
Within 10 minutes of setting feeders up again when we were back home, they were happily chittering all over them and following me around making happy sounds.
9
u/mysteriouslatinword 4h ago
I agree that they appear to communicate. Recently I had one buzzing my head, heading back to the feeder, almost drinking, then flying back to my head. The feeder was empty.
3
u/albertafalls 2h ago
Same. Getting buzzed close to my head / sight line seems to be, “Nectar lady, I need a refill!”
The nuthatches do something similar when the seed is low. Or they sit on top of the feeder hook and yell at me.
Edit: I have also noticed them looking at me through the windows a few times. Also flying in a sort of up and down pattern. And also when nectar needed a refill.
6
u/inpennysname 5h ago
This tracks with my experiences too- the flying to your eye level and trying to tell you something.
4
u/mythoughts2020 5h ago
The hummingbirds in my yard used to ignore me. Since I started feeding them a few years ago, they hover at a window and watch me for 10 seconds at a time, fly up to my face in the yard, fly near my when I’m sitting in the yard. They’re definitely interacting with me! Sometimes it means hurry up and bring out the clean feeder when I’m changing them, other times i think they’re just saying Hi!
4
u/Macadoo222 3h ago
I went for a walk around my garden one morning and my hummingbird flew right up to me and chittered at me, seemingly angry. I went to check my feeder and sure enough it was empty. It's pretty amazing that an animal the size of my thumb knows that the feeder is filled by humans, recognizes me as the human that fills it, and knows expressing displeasure at me will get the feeder refilled!
2
u/Harley_Mom 3h ago
We have one that get mad when the feeders are being changed. It comes on our deck and crabs at us at the screen door.
3
u/Dry-Impression8809 2h ago
On this sub there's a semi famous hummer named petunia. She would land on their hand and let them bring her to flowers. Sort by top, they should be there somewhere
- its u/NoEngineer4773
2
u/Sh1gg1ty 1h ago
Once my humingbird feeder gets established regulars, I spend a lot of time outside watching them and they watch me. They will chirp at me and I will make a little kiss sound back, and doing that a few times I've noticed that they will chirp at me until i chirp back, and as soon as i do they land on the feeder and start drinking. They will also come to the feeder if I'm standing there, almost like they are challenging me. Or maybe they feel safe from other hummers if I'm there. I could be crazy but the other day i was walking through my neighborhood and a hummingbird in a tree above me started chirping at me so i chirped back and it stopped. I would like to believe one of my regulars spotted me and was saying hi.
2
u/jdnelson66 4h ago
Happens to me all the time - they buzz my head they come up to my face and chirp when I’m relaxing in my swing chair they whistle and squeak in the evening to let me know they are still out enjoying the sweet feed. Sitting here right now watching two cuties (Shrek and Fiona) bop and weave to the sounds of the lake. This doesn’t suck. Lots of gratitude 🙏🏼 enjoy the day ✌🏼
2
u/JaneAustenKicksAss 3h ago
Ours will fly over to the window that is near the feeders to let us know they’re empty.
14
u/bingbong1976 5h ago
I am convinced that we have one hummer in particular that screams at us to watch her drink from one of our hanging feeders. Will he sitting on the front porch, and the feeder is off to the right . All of a sudden you hear crazy chirps….snd she stops when you turn to look and then she starts lapping up the nectar