What Do Baby Hummingbirds Look Like?

Newborn hummingbirds are born the size of a plump raisin. They have no downy feathers, just yellow straw-like strands down the middle of their back. Their eyes are closed and their bodies are black.

After 10 days they develop pin feathers that look like porcupine quills.

Pre-fledglings are fully feathered, have very short tail feathers and a beak less than 1/2 inch long. They are most often found on the ground.

Found an injured or orphaned hummingbird? Please start with our hummingbird emergency instructions.

Walden’s Puddle extends a big thanks to Journey North, a free, Internet-based program presented by Annenberg Learner, a division of the Annenberg Foundation. They gave us permission to use the beautiful humminbird photos taken by Dorothy Edgington.