Rainbow Flyers: Brilliant Hummingbird Colors

Courtesy Kevan Sunderland

The Spectrum of Hummingbird Colors

Hummingbirds are easy to love. With their spunky personalities, their unique and speedy flight, their too-cute cup nests and their gorgeous feathers, everything about them is delightful. That last point — hummingbird colors — is one of the best things about them. There’s a hummingbird for nearly every color of the rainbow. Here, we illustrate the many colors of hummingbirds with Birds & Blooms reader-submitted images. Psst—check out 50 more stunning hummingbird photos you need to see.

“In the tropical lowlands of western Ecuador, I was photographing birds in a beautiful garden of tropical plants. I kept seeing a beautiful hummingbird (above) that when the light hit it right, it was bright green, almost fluorescent. After watching its behavior and its quick flights around the garden, I picked a place and hoped it would land. It actually turned around for me on the perch and when it did that, the color exploded. You can easily see how it got its name, green-crowned brilliant,” Kevan Sunderland says.

Red Hummingbird

“I took this photo of a male ruby-throated hummingbird in my backyard with my Canon EOS 1300 D camera. This particular male was not at all afraid of my presence but whenever I would click the shutter it would hop off the feeder and look for the source of the sound. I especially like the way his head is tilted up to show the brilliant red on its throat,” says Mindy Drexler. Discover 17 jaw-dropping facts about hummingbirds.

Pink Hummingbird

“I just marvel at the beauty of this Anna’s hummingbird that I spotted in Tucson, Arizona. The hummingbird colors are striking and the pose is magnificent!” Joan Purcell says.

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Orange Hummingbird

“What makes the rufous hummingbird so special to me is that although he’s small, he’s mighty. He guards his feeding area with a passion. This little rufous took up residence on our patio and hung around and entertained us for several weeks. We loved watching his aerial acrobatics while he defended his turf!” Delia Alcorn says.

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Green Hummingbird

“This was my very first hummingbird photo. This male ruby-throat was sitting on my trellis for my roses in summer,” Ronda Legg says.

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Blue Hummingbird

“I took a trip to Arizona in May 2016. This blue-throated mountain gem was hanging around and I managed to catch quite a few photos of him. The photo was taken at Ramsey Canyon in Hereford, Arizona. I used a Nikon D810 with a Tamron 150-600mm lens. This is a beautiful species and I love the blue tail feathers and throat.”

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Purple Hummingbird

“I was given a hummingbird feeder for Christmas a couple of years ago, and it truly is the gift that keeps on giving. We now have hummingbirds in our backyard all year long. This photo is of a Costa’s hummingbird staying warm right after a rare and fresh snow in our backyard in Las Vegas,” Jodi Zimmerman says.

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Black Hummingbird

“This is a photo of a black-chinned hummingbird, taken in Swan Valley, Idaho. I fell in love with this bird the first time I saw him. It was a challenge to get a photograph of him. He did not like to hold still, and that made him even more fascinating to me. Many photos later, I finally got the purple to show up,” Sandra Colton says. Do hummingbird sightings have special meaning?

Courtesy Sally Rae Kimmel

White Hummingbird

“A leucistic Anna’s hummingbird visited the Australian Garden at the UCSC Arboretum, a public garden about 60 miles from my home. I love hummingbirds, so I had to drive there to see this rare bird for myself. I’d heard that seeing it was hit or miss, but I got extremely lucky. The bird streaked across the sky like a white bullet, then hovered over the blossoms in front of me. Wow! As my heart raced, I took as many photos as I could until it sped off as fast as it had flown in! I’m still in awe at the sight—and grateful that it graced me with its presence,” says Sally Rae Kimmel. See more photos of rare white hummingbirds.

Rainbow Colored Hummingbird

“I call this photo rainbow bird and I just love his red beak in contrast with his blue green body. I took this photo of a broad-billed hummingbird at the Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum,” says Justin Lingana. Check out the best sites for viewing Arizona hummingbirds.

Next, marvel at how many Anna’s hummingbirds visited this Washington yard.