Today I was out on my screened porch, absently listening to the "buzzybirds" ( as I call them) approaching the feeder which hangs under the roof overhang. As usual, one was guarding and one or two were trying to get access.

Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I saw something fall to the lawn. When I turned to look, one hummer was in the grass, beak up. The attacker was following it down, where it hovered for well over a minute. The attacker looked as if it were hanging from an invisible wire as it slowly turned in the air over the fallen one. It reminded me of a figure on a very small carousel, circling and circling, then reversing and circling the other way. At one point it lowered itself a few inches and "beak-battled" with the one on the ground. But it didn't really attack.

Finally the one on the ground spread its wings out to the sides, and then tried fluttering a bit. When it settled down again, the other slowly flew away. The downed bird waited just a few seconds, then flew off.

These birds are super serious about defending a feeder. It makes me wonder if they ever mortally injure each other. Have any of you seen something like this?

LindaSkyview