The Winged Warlords of the Wind: Part 1

It was supposed to be an artsy type photo of two hummingbirds framed by a chain-link fence as they sat side by side.

Within in a split second, the scene soon devolved into a cage match with lots of squabbling.

I have witnessed fighting at the feeders, fighting over the flowers and fighting in the forest. I asked myself, "Why are hummingbirds so aggressive?".

A short blurb posted April 1, 2009, on The Cornell Lab's All About Birds website provided an answer to "Why to hummingbirds fight so much?".

"Hummingbirds are aggressive for a good reason — they can’t afford to share flowers during times when not many blossoms are available because they may have to wander a long way after nectar is depleted. This aggression is so deeply ingrained that they just can’t figure out that feeders are different", the post said.

The website www.hummingbird-guide.com in an article titled "Hummingbirds Fighting, War and peace in the flower garden", said "male hummingbirds are very aggressive when claiming a new territory."

The article went on to say that the male "claims a territory and breeds with several females."
"These same females then gain full use of the territory to nest and raise the brood. The males chase off all other males," the post continued.

The article continued by saying, "These territorial fights can go on for hours. If this is the case a great deal of energy is expended. One hummingbird usually surrenders. Sadly, much less commonly, there are cases when damage is unrepairable."
Author Noah Strycker wrote in his book "The Thing With Feathers", that the Aztecs named a hummingbird as their god of war and that when Aztec warriors died they believed they would return to earth as hummingbirds.

He also detailed a Costa Rican resort owner's battle with feeder bullies. She eventually gave up as two male hummingbirds chased away every other hummingbirds.
Strycker wrote that hummingbirds don't have "the  weaponry to inflict serious damage on each other. Their beaks are softer and more sensitive than they appear."

"Their beaks are surprisingly bendy ... Their jaw can flex even though it is made of solid bone," he penned.

Nonetheless, the post on hummingbird-guide.com, said " ... that hummingbirds don't always fight strictly with their bodies. A gentler tactic they use is sound. When an intruder approaches, the bird increases the speed and intensity of the song."
The hummers seem to use both verbal and physical aggression.

I swear I have heard them sword fighting with their beaks.
I had two feeders out, but it didn't matter. The aerial skirmishes continued.

Last year there were as high as ten hummingbirds vying for a position at the feeders.
This year, my husband stated he saw at least a dozen combative flyers around the garden.

However the post on hummingbird-guide.com, stated they're may be hope for some peace at the feeder.
The post said, "... Some hummingbird species are less territorial and share feeders peacefully. The ruby-throated hummingbird is known to be the most territorial. We find that even our ruby-throated hummingbirds will share feeders in the late summer before the fall migration."

"This change in behavior is caused by the addition of young ruby-throated hummingbirds that will share feeders. There is no reason for them to fight over territory because they won’t mate until the following spring," the post continued.

Will there ever be peace at the feeder? That question can only be answered by a bunch of bossy and outspoken hummingbirds. 

That's the nature of things 'round here.