Photographer Captures Once-in-a-Lifetime Moment Rare Hummingbird Hangs on Bird’s Beak

Photographer Captures Once-in-a-Lifetime Moment Rare Hummingbird Hangs on Bird’s Beak
Caters News
Updated:

Dramatic photos taken in Ecuador capture an extremely rare hummingbird the split moment it “hangs” onto the elongated beak of a rival bird in the wild.

The sword-billed hummingbird was beaten to the bird feeder in the photographs, taken by Nicolas Reusens, who described the scene as a “once-in-a-lifetime” moment.

The 45-year-old photographer caught the buff-tailed coronet, another species of hummingbird, jump the queue, throwing its sword-billed rival off balance in a bid to snatch a bite to eat.

A photo taken in Ecuador shows a buff-tailed coronet hummingbird and a sword-billed hummingbird. (Caters News)
A photo taken in Ecuador shows a buff-tailed coronet hummingbird and a sword-billed hummingbird. Caters News
The incredibly rare photo taken by Nicolas Reusens captures the buff-tailed coronet hummingbird grasping the beak of a sword-billed hummingbird. (Caters News)
The incredibly rare photo taken by Nicolas Reusens captures the buff-tailed coronet hummingbird grasping the beak of a sword-billed hummingbird. Caters News
The buff-tailed coronet hummingbird is shown "hanging" on the beak of the sword-billed hummingbird. (Caters News)
The buff-tailed coronet hummingbird is shown "hanging" on the beak of the sword-billed hummingbird. Caters News

Nicolas said, “During one of my trips to Ecuador I had the luck of watching a very unusual bird coming to the feeders—the sword-billed hummingbird.

“The small hummingbird wanted to feed, so to prevent the sword-billed from feeding, it perched on its beak to unbalance it. After six intense days, and the very last afternoon, I got one of the most unusual captures of my life.”

Using triggers and large amounts of lighting to freeze motion in the shot, Nicholas was able to capture the photo, which earned him accolades in the Asisa Foto contest.
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