Do Hummingbirds Actually Hum? Here's What We Know

Hummingbirds are a fun surprise visitor for any bird-watcher because these quick and iridescent birds are simply a joy to watch flit around your yard and garden. If you like hummingbirds, then you've probably already know a few things about them, like when the best time to put out your sugar water feeders is and how to attract more hummers by adding extra red to your yard. However, one thing you may not know about hummingbirds is that, despite their name, hummingbirds don't actually make a humming sound with their vocals. Instead, the name hummingbird comes from the buzzing sound that these tiny critters make with their wings.

In fact, hummingbirds beat their wings around 60 to 80 times in a single second, which creates a soft buzzing or humming to our ears. This rapid beating of a hummingbird's wings allows them to perform some movements that other birds cannot, like hovering in place. They can also rotate their wings to fly backwards, sideways, up, down, and even upside down. All of this, plus their speed is what makes these birds so wonderful to watch. With all that said, if hummingbirds don't really hum, what vocal sounds do they make to communicate with each other?

So, now that we know that hummingbirds don't hum, let's talk about what sounds they do make. There are over 360 different species of hummingbirds, and many of them have different and distinct calls; however, most hummingbirds have a short and soft note they use to communicate, as well as an aggressive call they use to warn others out of their territory or when sparring. While some hummingbirds do also sing, each species often has its own distinct song.

Out of the five most common hummingbirds in North America, the only species that regularly sings is Anna's hummingbird, which is normally found on the Pacific Coast. While there are two accounts of black-chinned hummingbirds singing, catching this species in song is quite rare as they usually stick to other vocal calls. Ruby-throated hummingbirds, Rufous hummingbirds, and Allen's hummingbirds are not known to sing. However, no matter what noises a hummingbird makes, most of us can agree that they are undeniably beautiful and that we want more of them in our yard. To do this, you should make sure to plant nectar-rich flowers that hummingbirds love and consider putting out a water mister which will attract hummingbirds to bathe and play in the water.