This article originally appeared in the Spring 2019 issue of NatureWILD Magazine.
One of the most fascinating activities of hummingbirds is the courtship display where the male zooms high in the air and dives down at great speed to impress the female. As the male dives he sends out squeaks or trills which are made as his dive speed vibrates his tail feathers. Each hummingbird species has a different dive pattern: this pattern can help you identify them.
Flies high straight up, then dives steeply with whining and popping sounds at the bottom of the dive.
Zooms straight up and back down, wings folded. The male is travelling so fast that when he pulls out of his dive he can experience about 10 gs — more than a jet pilot can withstand.
Calliope males zoom straight up as much as 10 metres, then go down a short way and hover for a few moments, go down some more and hover again, over and over until they are level with the female, then they sometimes spin around together in a ‘circle dance’.
The male flies up 15 metres or more, then dives down, ending with fast side-to-side swings in front of the female.
Dives by swinging back and forth in wide U-shaped arcs, making whirring sounds on each dive.
