Hummingbirds

Hummingbirds, small, vibrant birds of the family Trochilidae, are native to the Americas, ranging from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, with the highest diversity near the equator. Their size varies from the tiny 5 cm bee hummingbird, weighing less than 2 g, to the largest species at 23 cm and weighing up to 24 g. Known for the humming noise made by their rapidly flapping wings, they can hover in mid-air with wing beats from 12 to 80 times per second and achieve speeds over 54 km/h. Splitting from swifts about 42 million years ago, hummingbirds have a fossil-recorded ancestor in South America 22 million years ago. Hummingbirds feed mainly on nectar but also eat insects and spiders. Remarkably, they possess the highest metabolism relative to their size of any warm-blooded animal and can enter a hibernation-like state called torpor to conserve energy.

Species Categories

Accentors African & New World Parrots Albatrosses Anhingas, Darters Auks Austral Storm Petrels Bulbuls Buntings Bushtits Caracaras, Falcons Cardinals & Allies Chachalacas, Curassows, Guans Chats, Old World Flycatchers Cormorants, Shags Coursers, Pratincoles Cranes Crows, Jays Cuckoos Dippers Ducks, Geese, Swans Finches, Euphonias Finfoots Flamingos Frigatebirds Gannets, Boobies Gnatcatchers Goldcrests, Kinglets Grassbirds & Allies Grebes Gulls, Terns, Skimmers Herons, Bitterns Hoopoes Hummingbirds Ibises, Spoonbills Jacanas Kingfishers Kites, Hawks, Eagles Larks Leaf Warblers & Allies Limpkin Longspurs, Snow Buntings Loons Mockingbirds, Thrashers New World Quail New World Sparrows New World Vultures New World Warblers Nightjars Northern Storm Petrels Nuthatches Old World Parrots Old World Sparrows, Snowfinches Olive Warbler Oropendolas, Orioles, Blackbirds Ospreys Owls Oystercatchers Parrotbills & Allies Pelicans Penduline Tits Petrels, Shearwaters, Diving Petrels Pheasants & Allies Pigeons, Doves Plovers Rails, Crakes & Coots Reed Warblers & Allies Sandpipers, Snipes Shrikes Silky-flycatchers Skuas Spindalises Starlings, Rhabdornis Stilts, Avocets Stone-curlews, Thick-knees Storks Swallows, Martins Swifts Sylviid Babblers Tanagers & Allies Thrushes Tits, Chickadees Tityras, Becards, Sharpbill Treecreepers Trogons Tropicbirds Tyrant Flycatchers, Calyptura Vireos, Greenlets, Shrike-babblers Wagtails, Pipits Waxbills, Munias & Allies Waxwings Woodpeckers Wrens Yellow-breasted Chat

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What Our Birders Say

Carrie

Makes you want to spot birds more

I think this app is fun. It makes you want to spot birds more so I guess in a way it encourages you to get out and about instead of sitting in front of the TV.

Foxgirl100

Great app for beginner twitchers

I’ve had a passion of photographing birds for a long time now but have only just gotten into proper birdwatching, and this app is brilliant for those just getting started. There is a great sense of community among users and the app is very easy to use and professional. Awesome app altogether

Sacha0508

Simply fantastic

I love this app, it puts so much fun into recording the birds I’ve seen and heard while I’m out and about. The interface is user-friendly and suitable for all ages. It’s great to collect badges and to review my “lists”.

SW H

Wonderful App

Birda is my go to app for keeping records of my bird sightings and sessions. It has fantastic information which is great at aiding identification. With all the updates that are coming in the new year, this app is something special.

JCBirding

Just what birding needs

We need more fun in birding, for years it has had a reputation for being up tight and stuffy and only perused by retirees and anoraks. Birda helps change that perception and firmly brings birding into the 21st century! Fun, interactive while still contributing to science and conservation. If you aren’t on it, why not??

Pdydhdrexgi

Fantastic App

This is a really lovely app, for everyone interested in birds - from newbies to old hands. There is a very friendly feel to the community and you will genuinely learn a lot as you record your sightings and photos. There are lots of badges and competitions to keep you engaged, and a host of really useful features.

Nedz53

Really useful

Downloaded to give it a try, everything worked perfectly, recorded my first bird watching walk. Very impressed. Have already recommended to friends!

Alice J

Awesome Birding Community

I absolutely love the community aspect of this app. The app is so user friendly and has fun interactive challenges to get you out birding. I’ve tried others but since I’ve started using Birda I’ve not gone back!

Jake W

Great app

I use this app all the time as it’s quick and easy to log individual sightings or whole birding sessions. It’s an excellent way to meet new people and the forum is full of really friendly people. The challenges are a great way to get involved and learn more about birds. Cannot recommend it enough!

Chudbond