Hummingbirds are very interesting creatures and many people love to observe them. You might plant things in your yard that are known to attract hummingbirds simply because you enjoy watching them.
Lots of people also choose to put bird feeders in their yards that will help hummingbirds in the area to thrive. If you’ve ever been out in your yard when a hummingbird is present, then it’s possible that one might have gotten close to you.
In fact, many people have noted that hummingbirds will sometimes hover in your face. This can be a bit startling for many people, and not everyone is sure how to react.
You might be wondering why a hummingbird would do this. Many would assume that hummingbirds would be wary of humans and would want to keep a respectable distance from them.
Why do hummingbirds hover in your face and should you be worried about a hummingbird getting too close? Read on to learn everything that you need to know about this issue so that you can know what to do if it happens again.
1 – Hummingbirds Hover Near Your Face Out of Curiosity
Most of the time, hummingbirds are going to hover in your face out of curiosity. The hummingbird might simply be curious about you and what is going on.
Hummingbirds are just naturally curious and they like to explore the area to see what’s happening. If someone new pops by, then they might see fit to fly right up to them and hover in their face.
Usually, a hummingbird will simply fly away after its curiosity has been sated. It is just checking out what is going on and making a note of you.
You won’t need to worry unless the hummingbird seems unusually aggressive or something. Your first assumption should usually be that you have a curious hummingbird on your hands.
2 – Hummingbirds Are Attracted to the Color Red
Another thing to know is that hummingbirds are attracted to the color red. Homeowners who enjoy watching hummingbirds will often use this bit of information to their advantage.
For instance, you could choose to plant things in your yard that are red. If you have many red flowers, then hummingbirds are likely going to be even more interested in your property.
The obsession with the color red isn’t only about checking out red flowers, though. Hummingbirds will also be drawn to red objects and other things that happen to be red.
That’s why most hummingbird feeders will have red bases. It’s more likely that hummingbirds will be interested in bird feeders that are red because they simply love the color.
If you’re wearing a red T-shirt, then it’s not going to be too unusual for a hummingbird to come and check you out. The hummingbird hovering in your face could simply be related to its obsession with the color red.
Once it makes note of you and checks you out, it’ll probably just fly away. Many people who have close encounters with hummingbirds like this happen to be wearing the color red.
3 – The Hummingbird Might Want Food
When hummingbirds grow accustomed to being fed at bird feeders on your property, they will want more. If your bird feeder happens to be empty, then it wouldn’t be too weird for the hummingbird to ask for more food.
The hummingbird getting in your face might be a sign that it’s hoping that you will put more food in the bird feeder. It might know that you’re the one who has been putting food in the bird feeder, and it’ll hope that you’ll do so again.
Hummingbirds need to eat a lot because they have such a fast metabolism. They visit so many flowers each day seeking out nectar, and they remember hummingbird feeder locations because they help them to survive.
A hummingbird hovering in your face could very well be related to it demanding food in some way. It’s also a sign that the hummingbird is comfortable with you, and you might take joy in knowing that if you’re a hummingbird fan.
So the next time that you see a hummingbird hovering near your face, it’s going to be easier to assume that it just wants you to refill the bird feeder. You can take it as a little sign that going and getting the hummingbird some more food would be appreciated.
4 – Hummingbirds Might Recognize Humans After Some Time
Hummingbirds are often known for having a better memory than many other types of birds. They need to have a good memory to be able to remember the location of flowers and bird feeders.
The memory of a hummingbird is so good that they will even remember how long it takes certain flowers to refill with nectar. Hummingbirds are capable of remembering things about their surroundings, and that includes people.
A hummingbird might observe you in your yard and get familiar with you over time. It might remember your face and your voice, and this is especially true if it recognizes that you’re a good person.
When a hummingbird becomes comfortable in your presence, it might not be unusual for it to get close and say hi once in a while. You could see the hovering in your face thing as a bit of a greeting and maybe even a thank you for continuing to stock your bird feeder with food.
You’ll be able to go about your business outside when hummingbirds are scanning the area for food. If one gets close to you, then you have no reason to get nervous because it means you no harm.
As long as you don’t get jumpy, the hummingbird might hover there for a good amount of time. But it’ll eventually fly away to continue its pursuit for food.
They need to eat so much food each day to keep going because of their metabolism. This means that they can’t afford to stop and say hello for too long, but it’s neat that they can remember humans and get comfortable enough to say hi anyway.
Are Some Hummingbirds Dangerous?
Generally, hummingbirds are not dangerous to humans at all. If you encounter a hummingbird that seems a bit aggressive, then it’s possible that you stumbled into its territory.
Like most birds and wild animals, hummingbirds will want to protect their territory from strangers and potential threats. If you come across a female hummingbird’s nest, then it might be trying to scare you off to protect its babies.
This is a totally natural reaction and you should just try to slowly back up and get away from the territory. It’s pretty rare for hummingbirds to attack humans, but it would be possible that it could happen in this situation.
Otherwise, you generally don’t have anything to fear from hummingbirds. If you’re just out in your yard, then it’s very likely that everything will be just fine when a hummingbird hovers close to you.
You’ll usually find that hummingbirds are more likely to flee than to fight. A hummingbird is keenly aware that it wouldn’t stand much of a chance in an encounter with a human, and it’s going to fly away if you act aggressively toward it in all likelihood.
Hummingbirds can be very aggressive when it comes to attacking other hummingbirds, though. Weirdly enough, it isn’t strange for hummingbirds to stab each other with their beaks when they’re competing for mates.
Two male hummingbirds might attack one another when they’re in a competition like this and it can get kind of gruesome. It’s sort of unnerving to watch, but many people have observed such actions in areas that have many hummingbirds.
If you’re noticing that some male hummingbirds in the area are a bit too aggressive, then you might want to make some changes. One of the best things that you can do is to space out your bird feeders a bit more.
This might limit the chance that two hummingbirds will happen upon the same feeder. If you don’t want to see hummingbirds fight, then this is a worthwhile thing to do.
Providing the hummingbirds with more feeders can also make a difference. You could double the number of feeders that you have on your property assuming that you’re comfortable doing so and you have enough space.
What If You Don’t Want Hummingbirds Getting So Close?
It’s possible that having hummingbirds get so close to your face will freak you out. Some people are very skittish around birds and other wild animals, and you might not enjoy having something get uncomfortably close like that.
You don’t need to be afraid of the hummingbird, but that doesn’t mean that you have to want it to hover in your face. If you don’t want the hummingbird to get that close, then you could always just wave your arms and back away.
In all likelihood, the hummingbird will fly off because it won’t want to get into a confrontation. Hummingbirds aren’t aggressive toward humans unless they need to protect their babies, and this means that you shouldn’t be afraid of one trying to stab you or something like that.
The most practical thing to do would be to avoid wearing red if you’re worried about hummingbirds. Hummingbirds are much more likely to hover in your face if you’re wearing something that’s red.
Try to remember to wear other colors that won’t attract the hummingbird’s attention when you’re out working in the yard. This should keep you from running into problems.
Of course, if you don’t really like hummingbirds, then you could get rid of bird feeders as well. When you don’t want hummingbirds to get too close to you, it’s not going to be wise to attract them to your property using the bird feeders.
You could also ensure that your garage and shutters are painted colors that are not red. Having red structures on your property might attract more hummingbirds, and you can keep them further away by painting the garage and shutters a different color.
It might also be wise to avoid planting red flowers in your garden. Red flowers attract hummingbirds because of how much they like the color, but even purple and pink flower combinations can pique the interest of hummingbirds.
Do you really need to go to such great lengths to avoid hummingbirds? Unless you’re really deathly afraid of hummingbirds, then they’re not going to be anything to worry about.
Taking these steps will make your property less appealing to hummingbirds, and you’ll see far fewer of them. It’s just up to you to decide if hummingbirds hovering in your face truly bother you to the degree that all of this becomes necessary.
Final Thoughts
You have learned a whole lot of things about hummingbirds now, and you’ll most likely feel more comfortable around them now. Hummingbirds are truly remarkable in many ways, and they can be a lot of fun to watch on your property if you like birds.
It is a bit weird when hummingbirds hover in your face, but they’re often just going to be saying hi or trying to indicate that they’d like you to restock your bird feeder. If you keep bird feeders that are geared toward hummingbirds on your property, then it won’t be too uncommon for hummingbirds to get close to you like this when you’re out in your yard.
Many other things can cause hummingbirds to want to get close, though. Wearing red could cause hummingbirds to take interest in you, and that might be the reason why it decides to hover in your face like that.
Hummingbirds are also simply known as curious birds that want to see what’s going on. Sometimes a hummingbird getting in your face is something that it does merely to satisfy its own curiosity.
Since hummingbirds aren’t dangerous, it’s not necessary to be worried about them getting close. Hummingbirds will only act aggressive toward each other, and the only time a hummingbird would attack a human is if it felt like you were trying to threaten its babies.
Just enjoy the hummingbirds on your property and don’t feel like you have to try to avoid them in any way. You should have a good time observing them and it’ll be fun to help feed them so that you can keep watching them over the years.
I have a bachelor’s degree in Film/Video/Media Studies, as well as an associates degree in Communications. I began producing videos and musical recordings nearly 15 years ago. I am a guitarist and bassist in Southwest MI and have been in a few different bands since 2009, and in 2012 I began building custom guitars and basses in my home workshop as well. When I’m home, I love spending time with my three pets (a dog, cat, and snake) and gardening in my backyard.