Hummingbird Parents: (Mating to Nesting)

Hummingbirds are stunningly graceful creatures beloved by everyone. Mating to nesting is a detailed process for hummingbirds preparing to become parents. Originating from the male hummingbird’s flight maneuvers to attract his mate combined with female nesting rituals including complete custody over the offspring are very specific behavior patterns.

Do hummingbirds mate for life?

Male hummingbirds share a polyamorous lifestyle and do not stay with one female. The male establishes his territorial dominance and romantically courts a female. Once the sperm is transferred and the egg is fertilized, the female bears sole custody and responsibility alone in raising her young.

Throughout their life cycle, these distinct patterns are what keep the male roles and female roles very separate and recognizable in their parenting style.

If you are caring for hummingbirds in your garden, understand the journey from mating to nesting. This will put into perspective their evolutionary process and explain the second half of the adventure of being an egg to becoming a fledgling.

Read my article:
Baby Hummingbirds: (Egg to Fledgling)

Hummingbird Courtship

Several hummingbird species use dive displays and shuttle displays during courtship to attract mates. These behaviors involve dramatic aerial maneuvers and close-range displays near a potential mate.

The male hummingbird takes his courtship and romance seriously, making sure he utilizes all of his tools and assets to impress a female. The courtship ritual displays their grace, beauty and strength.

The dive display (dive bomb display or
“J” flight pattern) of hummingbirds is a complex aerial courtship maneuver designed to impress a potential mate.

Hummingbirds that use the Dive Display include:

• Anna’s
• Broad-tailed
• Rufous
• Allen’s
• Black-chinned

The Anna’s hummingbird combines dive displays with side-to-side hovering near the female.
Broad-tailed hummingbirds performs steep high-altitude dives and include shuttle displays emphasizing their presence.

Steps of a Dive Display:

1) Positioning:
The male perches near the female to observe her location and ensure she is watching.

2) Ascent:
The male flies upward in a steep, vertical or semi-circular path, often reaching heights of 20–40 meters (65–130 feet) or more, depending on the species.

3) Pause at Apex:
At the peak of the ascent, the male hovers briefly before beginning the dive. This moment may include a vocalization or a visible display of iridescent plumage caught by the rays of the sun.

4) High-Speed Dive:
The male dives and plummets rapidly toward the ground before crashing head first. He uses his tail as a rudder to divert his crash.

The wind that vibrates through his tail feathers while bracing for a stop creates a “honking” sound. You will hear the male hummingbird tail feather vibrations first followed by his vocal seranation.

5) Sound Production:
During the dive, the male creates sounds using:

• Tail feathers (ie: Anna’s Hummingbird produces a sharp whistle).
• Wingbeats (ie: Broad-tailed Hummingbird’s trilling sound).
• Vocalizations to enhance the display.

6) Pull-Up:
Just before reaching the female or the ground, the male abruptly changes direction, swooping upward to avoid a collision while showcasing agility.

These displays are often accompanied by sounds generated by tail or wing feathers, as well as vocalizations, to enhance the visual and auditory impact on the female.

7) Repeats:
The male may repeat the dive several times in rapid succession to increase the impact of the display. This is his added flair to his dramatic presentation proving to the female his stamina, strength, speed and coordination; all favorable traits for a mother to pass along to her offspring.

8) Close Range Display:
After the dives, some males often hover near the female in a side-to-side shuttle display, further emphasizing his fitness and beauty.

Male hummingbirds establish territorial dominance by defending a plethora of flowers and colorful landscapes. Nectar and nutrients in abundance will attract the attention of a female hummingbird.

Surprisingly, it is not the overwhelmingly fragrant flowers that attract a female since they have no sense of smell, however, their eyesight is superior to humans as is their sense of hearing.

The dominant male hummingbird chases off other male intruders in the area to be sure his flowers and or hummingbird feeders catch the attention of all possible female contenders.

The shuttle display (“U” shape flight pattern) is a courtship behavior where a male hummingbird hovers in front of a female, moving side-to-side in a rhythmic, visually striking manner.
This display is an endurance test for the male, as it requires significant energy to maintain controlled hovering and precise movements, showcasing his fitness and suitability as a mate.

This combination can be more seductive in winning the hand of a female over an obnoxious dive bomb display of affection.

Hummingbirds that use the Shuttle Display include:

• Costa’s
• Rivoli’s
• Calliope

Steps of a Shuttle Display:

1) Positioning Near the Female:
The male observes and locates a quietly perched female. He approaches her and hovers at a short distance (usually within a few feet).

2) Establishing Hover:
The male begins hovering in place, ensuring his iridescent plumage is illuminated by the light, especially on his throat (gorget) and head.

Regardless of the flight pattern, the male hummingbird is aware of his movements, being sure that his bright colors are reflected through the sun’s rays to show off his assets to the female.

3) Side-to-Side Movements:
The male passionately swings his body back and forth from side to side in a “U” shape rhythmic, pendulum-like motion directly in front of the female. This creates an impressive visual effect and to gain her interest.

4) Sound Generation:
During his intimate delivery he vocally serenades with chirps or trills, along with creating vibrations and whistling sounds produced by expanding and contracting his tail feathers to enhance the display.

5) Maintaining Eye Contact:
The male often maintains orientation toward the female to ensure she sees his display clearly.

6) Adjusting Speed and Intensity:
The male varies the pace, intensity, and range of his movements to sustain the female’s attention and highlight his stamina.

7) Prolonged Display:
The male continues shuttling for an extended period, sometimes alternating with brief pauses or other behaviors such as puffing up his feathers to emphasize his size.

8) Response from the Female:
The female is very selective in her process when choosing to mate. If she shows interest and takes notice of his attributes she will remain perched, preen, or even move closer. The male quickly knows if he has won her heart or momentary attention. If uninterested, she will fly away, signaling the end of the display.

Read my article:
Hummingbird Dance: 5 Interpretive Explanations

Hummingbird Mating

The hummingbird mating season in North America and Canada begins in early spring when hummingbirds migrate north to their breeding locations. They enjoy the summer sun until the winds of winter call them to migrate to warmer climates in Mexico and the Northern tip of South America.

The entire reason for northern migration, much like salmon swimming upstream to their place of birth to lay eggs, is to return to the area where they were born to mate, build a nest, and raise a family.
Once the breeding grounds have been reached, focus turns to finding a partner with which to mate.

Being independent creatures, they value their solidarity and space. Hummingbirds migrate individually and do not flock with other birds of their species. Therefore, during their mating process, the male hummingbird is only present for the actual courtship and mating ceremony.

Each species of male hummingbirds has its own unique mating dance ritual of courtship to attract a female. They do perfectly choreographed dives and dance maneuvers to attract a flirty female.

See my article: 
Hummingbird Dance: 5 Interpretive Explanations

There is no penetration during the mating ritual as male hummingbirds do not have any external sexual organs.

The male unromantically transfers the “package” to the female. The mating process only lasts for approximately 3-5 seconds while the cloacae (kloh-ay-see) of both hummingbirds are pressed together in what is called the “Cloacal Kiss” (kloh-a-coal kiss) despite being nothing more than business as usual for both of the hummingbirds.

It is incredibly rare to see two hummingbirds mating as this process is performed in a safe and quiet environment with great speed. If you spot this activity during your lifetime, it is considered good luck.

After this, the two birds each go their separate ways, and once again, the male is free to begin his courtship and make efforts to catch another female’s attention continuing his polyamorous lifestyle.
The female returns to her newly built nest to get ready for the next stage of laying and incubating the eggs.

Nest Preparation Before Mating

Female hummingbirds build their nests before mating or during the courtship process. Before the male hummingbird properly catches the female’s attention she needs to be completely prepared to take the next step and builds a nest. She will not be interested in a suitor until her, “home is in order”.

A mother hummingbird’s nest is truly a work of art. She will actually tear down drafts and rebuild her nest if it is not up to her high quality standards.

During this time she is busily prepping the nest and creating a safe space to hatch her young. For the base and foundation of the nest she collects particles such as grasses, animal fur, cotton fiber, plant material, and small sticks or twigs to create a strong shelter that is resilient against outdoor elements.

The body of the nest are made from softer material of plant down, moss, and fine plant fibers, decorated with lichens and held together by spider webs to keep the eggs protected and the babies safe once hatched.

Female hummingbirds prefer building nests 10 to 20 feet off the ground in deciduous trees. It will take her between 5 and 7 days to construct the nest.

In between gathering and layering nesting materials with spider web silk, the last step for a female hummingbird to do is to add a final touch of resilience of spider web silk. This material is used as a sort of mortar. The spider web has a stickiness to hold the entire nest together, like glue.

She also considers important issues such as the quantity of available food in the area where she lives and the security surrounding her nest. Abundance of food is important for survival as the new parent hummingbird consumes her own weight in flower nectar each day to survive.
Now she has two extra mouths to feed.

Often, the nest is built in areas where there is high foliage for protection or at a high elevation to eliminate access from predators. Many forest dwellers love the nutrients and omegas found in her protein-rich hummingbird eggs. The more hidden she can place the nest the more successful she will be in raising her offspring.

The nests themselves are quite petite, measuring half the size of a golf ball or the size of a half dollar. The tiny structure holds 2 small white eggs; each the size of a coffee bean.

Spotting a hummingbird nest can be tricky since they are well hidden. It can be hard to imagine half the size of a golf ball with 2 small eggs the size of coffee beans swaying back and forth in the trees. It is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Once found, notifying others of your luck and excitement is infectious.

Read my article:
Can You Move a Hummingbird Nest?

Nest Maintenance

Once the nest is built and the eggs are laid, this will be the mother hummingbird’s time to defend her nest and her territory from outside threats and predators. She may even need to defend her nest from the mating male.

Certain breeds do not create emotional connections to their offspring and it is very common for parents to kill or eat their children if they are weak and feeble. Dark as it may be and counter-intuitive to their desire to keep their species alive, promoting healthy and functioning individuals for future generations over sick ones is a common goal for every species.

The female hummingbird faces numerous obstacles while her children are young and unable to fly. The nest which has been fortified with the tackiness of spiderwebs needs to be maintained through the weather elements. Hummingbirds in harsher environments are challenged with rebuilding as wind gusts can knock all of the eggs to their death.

For example, the Ruby-throated hummingbird covers her nest with large, green leaves while her eggs are incubating. This shields her eggs from the sun, rain and also camouflages her young against predators.

The mother hummingbird is highly aware of her surroundings and the strength of her nest. She builds in areas where other predators cannot reach. Nest locations can be located high up in a tree or even in man-made objects located on the front patio or in the backyard.

Incubation

The eggs come shortly after the female has been fertilized. The mother lays 2 small white eggs the size of coffee beans. The eggs are laid one at a time and approximately two days apart. After the second egg has been laid, the female begins incubation to keep her eggs warm.

The incubation process takes two weeks, but varies depending on colder climates. The mother hummingbird is vigilant while keeping her eggs safe, warm, and protected.

Supermom does everything for her offspring from feeding them, house cleaning and of course teaching them how to fly. Some things do not change between species. For the rest of the offspring’s lives, the father will not be around.

Conclusion

The first step of the hummingbird mating life cycle begins with courtship, mating and nesting. The second step of the cycle is raising the newly hatched baby hummingbirds to fledgling. This is a beautiful process!

Dominant male hummingbirds establish their territory by determining the amount of food supply they can defend, such as hummingbird feeders and an abundance of nectar rich producing flowers.

Once a female’s attention is sustained, the male shows off his attributes of strength by partaking in a courtship mating ritual. When the female has made her decision, the act takes less than 4 seconds in a private and quiet location. The male leaves his family and the female carries the sole responsibility of providing for her offspring.

The cycle of life begins again as the fledglings leave the nest. We wish the very best for our tiny little friends as they grow and leave the nest as young adults to start a new successful chapter in their lives.

To continue the journey and to see what happens next, read my article:
Baby Hummingbirds: (Egg to Fledgling)

Happy Hummingbird Watching!