As of 2015, 363 species and 104 genera of Hummingbirds had been described (family: Trochilidae). From Bird Families of the World, Winkler and colleages describe them: "In the super-charged lives of the world's smallest birds, sexual selection has taken over with males vying for mates by competing in leks or defending rich nectar resources. Hummingbirds showcase a dizzying array of plumages, almost all of which rely on odd tail plumes or the angle-sensitive iridescences of their feathers for their effect. The extreme maneuverability of these most acrobatic of birds seems to engender a lack of concern about predators, making them easy to approach near sources of food. Burning energy so fast during the day that most species cannot make it through the night on a stomach full of nectar, most go into torpor every night, even in tropical environments, to reduce energy loss."

For the convenience of viewers, I have divided my photographs into two galleries - one of species that North Americans might recognize and a second gallery that showcases the diverse array of species I have been fortunate to photography throughout the neotropics.