Of the 350 known hummingbird species, this one is the fastest!

Native to the Pacific Coast of the United States, the Anna’s Hummingbird can fly as fast as 60 mph. It’s known as the fastest bird in the world — relative to its size, anyway.

These birds have a wingspan of about 4-5 inches and only weigh 0.2 ounces. For reference, when a customer orders stickers, my envelopes weigh 0.7 ounces. These birds weigh less than a sticker in the mail, but they’re out there zooming around the sky. Absolutely wild.

The male Anna’s hummingbird performs a really impressive mating ritual where it flies high in the sky, zooms down and arches up at the last minute. That last second pull up creates a little popping sound from the wind moving across it’s wings.

I saw an article in the National Geographic that this stunt dive “subjects the bird to G-forces that are nearly 10 times greater than the force of gravity. These break the record for any aerobatic manoeuvre by a living creature, with the sole exception of jet fighter pilots.”

Oooph. That’s quite the show for a chance at a little somethin’ somethin’ with a lady bird.

And these birds have gorgeous colors to boot. Absolutely wild. Just blowing my mind.

It was so fun to work on this piece and I’m so excited it’s ready for preorder! Prints are available in 5×7-inch, 8×10-inch, and 11×14-inch prints! Stickers, 3×4.1-inch on white vinyl, are also available for preorder! If you sign up for my email list, you’ll receive a 25% off discount code good through December 14! Sign up here.

XOXO,

Hannah