Hummingbirds are amazing little birds that are loved for their colorful plumage, their ability to hover in midair, and the characteristic hum made by their rapidly beating wings. Of the over 300 different species of hummingbirds, most make some sort of vocalizations beyond just the sounds created by their wings. The noises hummingbirds make can include chirps, squeaks, whistles, and even song-like vocalizations. These sounds allow hummingbirds to communicate with each other and defend their territories. But which hummingbird species make the most intriguing noises? Let’s explore some of the loudest and most unique hummingbird sounds and find out!
Anna’s Hummingbird
One of the noisiest hummingbirds is Anna’s hummingbird (Calypte anna). This medium-sized hummingbird has mostly green plumage on its back and head, with grey underparts and a brilliant iridescent reddish-pink throat patch and crown. Anna’s hummingbirds produce a variety of vocalizations beyond just wing hums. Their most distinctive sound is a loud, piercing tee-yip call. This call is used in agonistic displays to defend feeding territories. The tee-yip call is made up of two whistled notes, tee and yip, in quick succession, with tee at a lower pitch than yip. The tee-yip call is made during display dives and rapid ascents. During these displays, the male Anna’s hummingbird will climb 30-130 feet into the air before diving steeply back towards the ground with a high-pitched squeak. As it pulls up inches from the ground, wings whistling, it utters the tee-yip call. This dramatic display advertises the hummingbird’s territory and intimidates intruders. In addition to the tee-yip call, Anna’s hummingbirds also make chip and cheep sounds in aggressive encounters, as well as longer warble-like songs. The songs are complex, with varied rhythms and pulsed notes. Both males and females sing these songs year-round. So with its array of whistles, chirps, squeaks, and song, Anna’s hummingbird produces some of the most intriguing and noticeable hummingbird vocalizations.
Allen’s Hummingbird
Another very vocal hummingbird is Allen’s hummingbird (Selasphorus sasin). This small green-backed hummingbird has rusty flanks and a brilliant orange throat patch in adult males. Allen’s hummingbirds make sharp tick vocalizations that carry far and sound metallic or electric. These ticking sounds are made by males during courtship displays and serve to attract females. During courtship displays, the male Allen’s hummingbird flies in a U-shaped pattern up to 130 feet in the air. At the top of the arc, he dives down at high speeds past the female. As he pulls up and zooms upwards again, he produces the loud metallic ticks at up to 160 ticks per second. The twittering ticks start out slow and increase in speed as the male flies up. This distinct rattling courtship call stands out as one of the most recognizable hummingbird sounds. Beyond the ticks, Allen’s hummingbirds also produce buzzing, ringing, and whistling sounds. So this little hummingbird makes quite a medley of noises for its size!
Calliope Hummingbird
The smallest breeding hummingbird in North America, the Calliope hummingbird (Selasphorus calliope) makes quite a bit of noise for its tiny size. Adult male Calliope hummingbirds have colorful plumage, with a purple throat, white breast, and green back. Despite being just 3 inches long and weighing a mere one-twentieth of an ounce, these tiny hummingbirds have a surprisingly loud song. Males perform a high-speed dive display during courtship as they fly in a J-shape, producing a thin squeaky song at the bottom of the dive. The song is a rapid series of 8-15 tsip notes that verge on becoming a musical trill. Though high-pitched, the song is loud enough to be heard 60 feet away! Calliope hummingbirds also make squeaking and popping sounds in aggressive encounters over food sources. The Calliope hummingbird produces some of the loudest and most intriguing noises relative to its incredibly small body size.
Rufous Hummingbird
Rufous hummingbirds (Selasphorus rufus) are known for their distinct buzzing and whirring wing sounds. As these hummingbirds rapidly beat their wings up to 80 times per second, they create a signature rrrrrr-sound. The tone and pitch of the wing buzz varies with courtship dives. As the male Rufous hummingbird makes a steep dive up to 100 feet during courtship displays, the sound changes from an insect-like buzz on the ascent to a high-pitched whistle on descent. But beyond just wing buzz, Rufous hummingbirds also vocalize with scolding rattles and whistles to defend territories. Both males and females perform fast chatter-squeaks in aggressive encounters. And males also produce whistling and twittering sounds interspersed with buzzes during courtship displays. So while the Rufous hummingbird is certainly known for the unique sounds of its wings, it makes quite a diversity of distinctive vocalizations as well.
Long-billed Hermit
An unusual vocalist among hummingbirds is the Long-billed hermit (Phaethornis longirostris). This large, mostly brown hummingbird has a very long, curved bill. As its name indicates, the Long-billed hermit lives a solitary life hidden in dark forest understory and along ravines. What makes the vocalizations of the Long-billed hermit so intriguing is that they sound more frog-like than bird-like! The male’s song consists of a rapid series of wet-sounding, croaking notes described as “aaaa-unk, aaa-unk.” This strange song echoes through the dim forest like a frog chorus. Long-billed hermits also make loud, harsh growls and croaks for communication. Meanwhile, their wings produce a low-pitched, blunt buzzing unlike the typical high-pitched hum of other hummingbirds. So the Long-billed hermit’s odd vocalizations and wing sounds make it one of the more unusual sounding hummingbirds.
Marvelous Spatuletail
The Marvelous spatuletail (Loddigesia mirabilis) is a rare and beautiful hummingbird endemic to a small area of Peru. As their name indicates, male Marvelous spatuletails have extravagant tail plumes that end in large, colorful spatules looking like flower petals. When courting females, male Marvelous spatuletails perform a unique sound-making display. As the male flies in front of the female, he forcefully claps his tail feathers together over his back, producing loud snaps and pops! Up to 55 loud pops and cracks can be produced in one display as the male repeatedly flicks his tail open and closed. The females do not produce this sound. So the Marvelous spatuletail males put on quite a noisy show with their specialized tail feathers and snapping courtship display.
Swallow-tailed Hummingbird
The Swallow-tailed hummingbird (Eupetomena macroura) of South America gets its name from its long, forked tail feathers resembling a swallow’s tail. These large hummingbirds use their vocalizations and the unique sounds from their tail feathers to attract mates. Males perform a diving courtship display during which they climb up to 100 feet into the air before swooping into a steep dive. At the bottom of the dive, the male’s tail feathers flutter and spread in such a way that they produce a loud, distinctive buzzing and rattling sound! This trilling noise draws the female’s attention. In addition to tail-rattling, male Swallow-tailed hummingbirds also vocalize boisterous buzzing songs. So this species combines both vocalizations and mechanical sounds from tail feather movements to generate a diverse array of noises.
Fiery-throated Hummingbird
True to its name, the Fiery-throated hummingbird (Panterpe insignis) of Central America and Mexico has brilliant, flaming orange plumage on its throat. Like many hummingbirds, males perform a dive display during courtship. But what makes the dive display of the Fiery-throated hummingbird unique is the whistling twittering sound produced by the tail feathers. As air rushes through the tail feathers during the dive, they flutter and separate to create a distinctive twittering noise. Additionally, males use buzzing vocalizations in aggressive encounters with other males over feeding territories. Though a relatively lesser-known hummingbird, the Fiery-throated is certainly attention-grabbing with its visually dazzling plumage and interesting dive display vocalizations.
Giant Hummingbird
Living up to its name, the Giant hummingbird (Patagona gigas) is the largest hummingbird species. It is an impressive hummingbird, measuring over 8 inches long with a wingspan of nearly 5 inches! Despite its large size, the Giant hummingbird makes surprisingly weak, quiet vocalizations. Its call is a high-pitched thin tzink sound, described as weak and insect-like. The Giant hummingbird’s wing hum is also relatively faint. The weakness of its vocalizations likely developed due to the flower-rich areas it inhabits in South America. With abundant food sources, the Giant hummingbird does not have to aggressively defend territories and so does not need loud, carrying calls. This is quite different from typical hummingbird vocal behavior. But the Giant hummingbird’s enormous size alone asserts its dominance at food sources, reducing reliance on noisy displays.
Wedge-tailed Sabrewing
The Wedge-tailed sabrewing (Campylopterus curvipennis) is a large, swift hummingbird of Central and South America. Its name comes from its uniquely wedge-shaped tail and large, crescent-shaped wings. When flying, Wedge-tailed sabrewings make a loud, ringing kleet-kleet-kleet call that carries far through the forest. Both males and females vocalize in this way, and pairs may duet together with their kleet calls. The Wedge-tailed sabrewing produces some of the most far-carrying vocalizations of any hummingbird. The kleet calls assert territory ownership and communicate between individuals, especially important for birds that inhabit dense forest. So the Wedge-tailed sabrewing’s loud vocalizations help this fast-flying species navigate and communicate across its habitat.
Violet-tailed Sylph
The Violet-tailed sylph (Aglaiocercus coelestis) of South America is named for the male’s gorgeous violet tail feathers. Males perform elaborate courtship displays, zipping back and forth with tails widespread to show off gleaming feathers. A unique feature of the Violet-tailed sylph’s display is the sound produced by tail feathers. On dives, the tail makes a loud swishing and humming sound, described as “zumba-zumba-zumba.” The tail-humming combines with buzzing wing beats to create a complex aerial display. Females lack the long tail feathers, so do not produce the same sounds. The Violet-tailed sylph’s noisy dive displays and tail-humming make it one of the most ornate hummingbird courtship rituals.
Conclusion
While all hummingbirds create noise with their rapidly beating wings, particular species vocalize in more intricate and intriguing ways. From Anna’s tee-yip call to the croaking song of the Long-billed hermit, different hummingbird species have developed unique sounds for communication, courtship, and territorial defense. Other hummingbirds like the Swallow-tailed incorporate specialized tail feathers that buzz, snap, or trill during dive displays. So while hummingbird vocalizations are often high-pitched and can seem simple to our ears, listening closely reveals the diverse array of noises hummingbirds can produce with plumage and vocal adaptations. Paying attention to the sounds of these vocal hummingbird species provides a window into the elaborate behaviors and adaptations of hummingbirds. The next time you hear an unfamiliar buzz, whistle, snap, or trill, take a look around to see which of these intriguing hummingbirds might be calling!
