Annas hummingbird Sep 7, 2024

Let"s meet Anna"s hummingbird, seen in today"s image. Named after Anna Masséna, Duchess of Rivoli, it"s one of an estimated 366 hummingbird species, and it"s the most common species on North America"s western coast. With its shimmering emerald feathers and sparkling rose-pink throat, this little bird is a sight to behold. Hummingbirds are known for their incredible speed; they can flap their wings up to 80 times per second, allowing them to hover in place and even fly backwards. Emily Dickinson aptly describes their swift movement: "A Route of Evanescence / With a revolving Wheel—." Their high metabolism requires them to eat constantly, so they spend their days flitting from flower to flower, sipping nectar and catching insects.

© yhelfman/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Sep 7, 2023Camels in the desert, United Arab Emirates
Sep 7, 2025Gdańsk, Poland
Sept 7, 2026Old Town Hall, Bamberg, Germany

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Oct 7, 2026Puzzlewood, Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England
Sep 16, 2023Splügen Pass, Switzerland
June 5, 2026Sarek National Park, Laponia, Lapland, Sweden
Dec 18, 2023Capitol Reef National Park, Utah, USA
Nov 2, 2024American bison in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA
Jun 15, 2024Surfer riding a wave in Nazaré, Portugal
Sep 19, 2024Milky Way over the Elbow River, Alberta, Canada
Jan 30, 2026St. Michaels Mount in Marazion, Cornwall, England
Feb 4, 2026Red kite in snow
Apr 12, 2025View from the cupola of the International Space Station
Jun 21, 2025Masai giraffes in the Serengeti
Nov 4, 2023American bison
Sep 10, 2023Walruses in Svalbard, Norway
Nov 6, 2023Lago Pehoé, Torres del Paine National Park, Chile
Jun 12, 2025Chisos Mountains, Big Bend National Park, Texas, United States
Jun 6, 2024Greater flamingos at Pont de Gau Ornithological Park, Camargue, France
Feb 11, 2025Yungang Grottoes, Datong, China
May 24, 2025Jotunheimen National Park in Norway
Sep 24, 2025Devils Tower National Monument, Wyoming, United States
Mar 23, 2024Large anvil clouds, Amazon, Brazil
Feb 27, 2025Polar bear cub, Churchill, Manitoba, Canada
Jan 10, 2025Abraham Lake, Alberta, Canada
Nov 1, 2025Bison, Yellowstone National Park
Oct 25, 2024Mont Blanc in Chamonix, France
Sep 1, 2025Kaiserstuhl, Germany
Feb 28, 2026Oloupena Falls, island of Molokai, Hawaii, United States
Sep 7, 2025Gdańsk, Poland
Apr 14, 2025Atlantic spotted dolphins near Santa Maria Island, Azores, Portugal
Sept 14, 2026Field of kochia plants, China
Jan 16, 2025Pinnacles National Park, California, United States