Females Only

The brightly colored males stay away from the nest to protect it from predation. In fact, males' only contribution to the reproductive process is fertilization. Past that, the hatching of eggs and raising of young is left to the females, who do not feature vivid colors. The plain appearance of females makes them less noticeable to predators. They blend in with their surroundings, thus protecting themselves and the nestlings from potentially dangerous attention.

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Speed

Good luck to any predator trying to catch a hummingbird in flight. These tiny birds ranging anywhere from 2 to 8 inches in length average flight speeds between 25 and 30 miles per hour. With nearly 30 percent of their body weight in flight muscle, hummingbirds have the ability to maneuver quickly. This comes in handy during courtship, when males accelerate their flight speed up to 50 miles per hour.

 

Diving and Maneuvers

You can liken the hummingbird's flight abilities to those of a helicopter: The hummingbird is able to fly straight up and down, sideways, backwards and in place. The hummingbird's well-developed in-flight reflexes support effortless response when an immediate change in flight direction is necessary. The hummingbird is in a sense also like a fighter jet: He can fly upside-down and can dive accelerating up to 60 miles per hour. Combined, these acrobatic abilities provide significant protection from predators.

 

Noisy Wings

To humans, the humming sound made by the repetitive flapping of hummingbird wings is a delight to the ears. That's not the fact for hummingbird predators, especially larger birds. For them, the noise causes confusion. In the predator's attempt to decipher the noise, the predator often moves away from the source of the noise, thus deterring its meal-seeking mission.