The need to eat so much, so often, dictates much of the hummingbird's behavior. It makes the hummingbird one of the most territorial birds in the world. They'll scare off animals as large as hawks to protect their space. They'll do this by performing dramatic aerial moves that either frighten or annoy the threatening bird into flying away.

These aerial moves earn the hummingbird a unique place in the animal world. Few -- if any birds -- can match their speed and agility. They often appear to dance in the air and regularly engage in complex aerial displays, sometimes to defend their territory and sometimes to impress the opposite sex. Two hummingbirds might even bounce around in the air toge...

The need to eat so much, so often, dictates much of the hummingbird's behavior. It makes the hummingbird one of the most territorial birds in the world. They'll scare off animals as large as hawks to protect their space. They'll do this by performing dramatic aerial moves that either frighten or annoy the threatening bird into flying away.

These aerial moves earn the hummingbird a unique place in the animal world. Few -- if any birds -- can match their speed and agility. They often appear to dance in the air and regularly engage in complex aerial displays, sometimes to defend their territory and sometimes to impress the opposite sex. Two hummingbirds might even bounce around in the air together.

It makes sense that hummingbirds would mate midair -- they do everything else in the air, and their legs are all but useless. They could probably pull it off, too, what with their ability to hover. But do these birds actually copulate in flight?


When a male hummingbird is courting a female, he'll do some insane aerial moves to show her how strong, controlled and just generally fantastic he is. On occasion, if the female enjoys the show, she'll starting moving in the air with him. This can sometimes look like they're actually mating in the air. In fact, hummingbirds often get right up in each other's faces. Male hummingbirds will do a sort of "dance off" when fighting over territory, and several hummingbirds will get together to chase off an outsider.

Appearances aside, hummingbirds don't actually mate in midair. Their legs may not be able to walk or bounce, but they can perch. Hummingbirds are able to stand on branches, and that's where they copulate. After a female accepts a talented suitor, she'll perch on a branch and wait for the male to mount her from behind. About four seconds later, they leave each other and never look back [source: World of Hummingbirds]. The male goes to look for another female to mate with, and the female goes off to build a nest.