This is one of the nicest images of a hummingbird I have taken and it was unplanned. I was waiting in readiness to take it's picture when it came to the feeder, but it landed instead on a nearby branch. It's head was haloed against a little patch of blue sky revealed through the deep shadows of the woods behind the bird, so close it nearly filled the frame (which is saying something for such a small bird). Perhaps you have never seen a hummingbird at rest.
This sideview is an opportunity to mention their amazingly long tongues. A stretchy attachment called the hyoid apparatus allows the hummer to extend it's tongue beyond the bill by about the same length as the bill. The position of the hyoid apparatus is shown in yellow in the inset.
No comments:
Post a Comment