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.
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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