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16 Stunning photos of hummingbirds’ wings reveal a magical rainbow of colours
‘Winged Prism’ is a collection of breathtaking hummingbird images by multi-award winning Australian photographer Christian Spencer.
The magical rainbow of colours in hummingbirds’ wings
Multi-award winning Australian photographer Christian Spencer has lived within Brazil’s Itatiaia National Park for almost 20 years. The artist’s hummingbird series captures sunlight filtering through the wings and tail of a black and white Jacobin hummingbird. The jaw-dropping visual phenomenon is naturally occurring and the images have not been digitally manipulated in any way. All images shared with kind permission of the artist.
![Christian Spencer (born Melbourne, Australia, 1977) is a professional artist, filmmaker and photographer. Since a young age Christian was always interested in nature and started painting professionally in 1996 in Adelaide. In 1998 he moved to a sheep station in a isolated farm in the heart of the Flinders Ranges in South Australia to work and paint.](https://www.brightvibes.com/wp-content/uploads/legacy/phpnKyVfN.jpg)
![Since 2001 he has spent long periods in Brazil exhibiting his paintings and going on to win 19 international wards for his artistic documentaries on nature.](https://www.brightvibes.com/wp-content/uploads/legacy/phpNGZHKl.jpg)
Hummingbirds 101 — From the hummingbird society
WHAT ARE HUMMINGBIRDS?
Hummingbirds are tiny birds weighing 2 to 20 grams (.06-.60 ounces). They feed on nectar and insects, as well as tiny spiders. They have long and slender beaks and extensible tongues. They always have 10 primary feathers, 6 or 7 secondaries, nearly always 10 rectrices (tail feathers), and an extremely large sternum. Their feet are tiny and not well suited for walking but well designed for perching.
Adult males often display iridescent plumage, rarely females (sexual dimorphism).
Their wings are relatively long and pointed, usually having short arms and forearms but long hands. They fly with a unique method of rotating the entire wing, with little or no flexing of the wrist or hand joints.
As a result of their unique but inefficient means of flight, they must consume enormous amounts of food each day, with nectar often amounting to 100-200% of their body weight. Insects provide protein for their diet.
The exact number of species is perhaps 338, although not all scientists agree. This makes them the second largest family of birds after flycatchers. They are found only in the New World, from Alaska in the north to Tierra del Fuego in the south. Most species are found in the tropics.
Source: TheHummingbirdSociety.org
![Recently Christian has been awarded many prizes in international photo competitions. Winning best overall photo 2014 and 2015 in the Ecological Society of Australia Photo Competition; winner in World Meteorological Organization photography awards and finalist in Head On Awards in Sydney Australia and Travel Photographer of the year and best photo award in the Canon college photography competition in Brazil in 2017.](https://www.brightvibes.com/wp-content/uploads/legacy/phpMeLTKN.jpeg)
IMPORTANT HUMMINGBIRD FACTS TO KNOW:
- Of the 338 known species, 16 breed in the U.S.
- Hummers are found only in the Americas.
- Hummingbirds migrate in the fall or spring at a time determined by genetic programming.
- It is illegal to possess a hummingbird, feather, nest or any part of it without a permit.
- Do not care for an injured or baby hummingbird without the assistance of a licensed wildlife rehabilitator.
Source: TheHummingbirdSociety.org
![In his 18-year career, Christian Spencer has used the canvas, film, music and photography to sustain his unique art, a representation of the abstraction that he sees in nature, capturing the inter-relationship between the micro and macro, “the invisible orchestrated cosmos”.](https://www.brightvibes.com/wp-content/uploads/legacy/phpYDl6yk.jpg)
![Hummingbirds are tiny birds weighing 2 to 20 grams (.06-.60 ounces). They feed on nectar and insects, as well as tiny spiders.](https://www.brightvibes.com/wp-content/uploads/legacy/phpqckkkA.jpg)
![Hummingbirds have long and slender beaks and extensible tongues.](https://www.brightvibes.com/wp-content/uploads/legacy/phpFwXOyA.jpg)
![Hummingbirds always have 10 primary feathers, 6 or 7 secondaries, nearly always 10 rectrices (tail feathers), and an extremely large sternum.](https://www.brightvibes.com/wp-content/uploads/legacy/phpOyaShw.jpg)
![Hummingbirds’ feet are tiny and not well suited for walking but well designed for perching.](https://www.brightvibes.com/wp-content/uploads/legacy/phpM4H4R6.jpg)
![Adult males often display iridescent plumage, rarely females (sexual dimorphism).](https://www.brightvibes.com/wp-content/uploads/legacy/phpiUfTtt.jpg)
![Hummingbirds’ wings are relatively long and pointed, usually having short arms and forearms but long hands.](https://www.brightvibes.com/wp-content/uploads/legacy/phpO8gRUN.jpg)
![Hummingbirds fly with a unique method of rotating the entire wing, with little or no flexing of the wrist or hand joints.](https://www.brightvibes.com/wp-content/uploads/legacy/php12Svcl.jpg)
![As a result of their unique but inefficient means of flight, they must consume enormous amounts of food each day, with nectar often amounting to 100-200% of their body weight. Insects provide protein for their diet.](https://www.brightvibes.com/wp-content/uploads/legacy/phpKJixu2.jpg)
![](https://www.brightvibes.com/wp-content/uploads/legacy/phpMqN3pq.jpeg)
![](https://www.brightvibes.com/wp-content/uploads/legacy/phpEnHA4Y.jpeg)
![](https://www.brightvibes.com/wp-content/uploads/legacy/phpuuwZuM.jpeg)
![](https://www.brightvibes.com/wp-content/uploads/legacy/phprzDHyJ.jpeg)
For more of Christian Spencer’s awesome art
All images are subject to copyright and are shared with kind permission of the artist. Please note, these images have been compressed — to view the original high resolution images, check out Christian’s website where you can also purchase limited edition prints to own and keep forever. Spencer’s Instagram is another gallery of stunning photos of hummingbirds and other beautiful images of the natural world. Spencer’s dedication to his art has garnered him a plethora of prestigious awards and honourable mentions:
- Highly Commended | Bird Photographer of the Year | England | 2020
- Winner | Tokyo Photo Awards | Japan | 2020
- Winner | category “CEO Award”| Heritage Bank Photographic Awards | Australia | 2018
- Winner | category “Exuberant Nature”| CANON college | Brazil | 2017
- Highly commended | Tokyo International Photo Awards | Japan | 2017
- Highly commended | Nature Photographer of the Year | Holland | 2017
- Highly commended | Australian Photographer of the Year | 2017
- Honorable Mention | Monochrome Awards International Black and White Photography Contest | 2017
- Prize “Fundação Casa da Cultura Macedo Miranda” | 44º Art Salon | Museum of Modern Art of Resende-RJ| 2016
- Honorable Mention | Monochrome Awards International Black and White Photography Contest | 2015
- Best Overall Photo | Ecological Society of Australia Photo Competition | Australia 2015
- Finalist | Monocrome category | Travel Photographer of the Year 2015
- Finalist | Head On Awards | Sydney Australia 2015
- Commended Photo | Sony World Photography Awards | 2015
- Highly Commended | Bio Photo Contest | Italy 2015
- Highly Commended ZSL Animal Photography Prize London 2015
- Winner of World Meteorological Organization Photography Awards 2015
- Best Overall Photo | Ecological Society of Australia Photo Competition | Australia 2014