Hummingbird Bootie Calls: Not Every Birdie is Born to Breed

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There’s an elaborate show taking place in the skies around my deck today as the female hummingbirds prepare to lay their eggs. Each summer, I create an oasis for hummingbirds. Our little house in the middle of the Quincy Bay transforms into Cielo del Colibrí (Heaven of the Hummingbird).

For female hummingbirds, who showed up this year in greater numbers than ever before, it’s Choosing Time. The time when all the males try to outperform each other with elaborate aerial acrobatic air shows hoping to be chosen for a fly-by bootie call.

🩸 Not Every Bird Is Born to Breed

Some can’t. Some don’t.

Not because they’re lazy, or broken, or indecisive. But because when their instincts say not now, or not here, or not this time, they follow them.

Birds don’t ignore their instincts.

They don’t override their wiring with shame or ego or guilt about what they should be doing. They simply respond to what is visible and available. To safety. To nourishment. And yes, sometimes to a sexy dance depending upon what is called for…in the moment.

Meanwhile, we humans consider ourselves apex creatures. We call ourselves enlightened. We say we’ve evolved past instinct. We call it “choice” but forgot what choosing even means.

We think choosing is deciding between two or more equally attractive options.

But a hummingbird knows—

Choosing is recognizing when the answer is no. Not because of what she sees or wants, but because of what she feels and knows to be true. Deep in the marrow of her wings.

Even the smallest hummingbird knows the difference between Can and Should:

• Just because she can, doesn’t mean she should.

• And just because you want to, doesn’t mean you will. Or can. Or should.

• Not if the conditions aren’t right. Not when the body says no. Not when the soul says wait and rest.

Maybe it’s not that we need to be more like birds. Maybe it’s that we already are. We just forgot how to listen to our own Bird Brains.

🩸 Hummingbird Reproduction 101

The Mechanics of Hummingbird Baby Making

✅ 1. The Female Builds the Nest Before She’s Pregnant

• A female hummingbird builds her nest before she has an egg developing inside her. (Male hummingbirds do not build or live in nests.)

• Nest-building is a pre-mating behavior.

• She scopes out the location, gathers materials (like spider silk, moss, downy feathers), and shapes it to fit exactly one or two tiny future eggs.

• This takes days, sometimes more than a week.

• Why? Because the moment her body is ready to lay, there’s no time to build. She needs the nursery prepped.

✅ 2. Nest First - Bootie Call (or calls) Second

• Birds don’t get "pregnant" the way mammals do. Instead:

  • She mates via a brief cloacal kiss—a touching of the two birds’ cloacas (the shared opening for waste, eggs, and sperm).

  • It takes seconds.

  • Sperm enters her reproductive tract and fertilizes an ovum (the yolk of the future egg).

  • She may mate with multiple males during the season—and it’s biologically possible for each egg in a single clutch to have a different father. Hummingbirds are unapologetically polyamorous, and the female remains fully in charge of both her territory and her timeline.

✅ 3. Then Her Body Forms the Egg

• Once fertilized, the yolk travels down her oviduct to become what we think of as the egg. Along the way, it gets coated in:

  • Albumen (the egg white),

  • Membranes, and

  • Shell (formed mostly of calcium).

• This process takes about 24 hours.

• She will lay the egg soon after that shell forms—often early in the day. Then she rests, and if there’s a second egg, it’s usually laid one day later.

The Meaning Behind the Mating Dance

Female hummingbirds don’t bond with the male that they choose to fertilize their eggs. The role of a male hummingbird in the fly-by bootie call is over in a matter of seconds. The male does not slow down or stick around. There is no bonding, no nesting partnership. Females are radically autonomous.

Here are a few reasons why a female hummingbird might not lay eggs even after she shows up for the bootie call:

🪽 1. She’s too young

• First-year females may not yet be mature enough to breed, especially if they hatched late in the previous season.

• Some might attempt nest building without completing the reproductive cycle.

🐦 2. No access to a suitable mate (keyword: suitable)

• Even if males are present, mating can be highly competitive and territorial.

• A female may avoid areas dominated by aggressive males or fail to find a mate within her territory.

🌿 3. Environmental conditions aren’t right

• Cold snaps, drought, or heavy rain can delay or inhibit nesting.

• If nectar, insects, or protein sources are lacking, she may not risk the energy expenditure of reproduction.

🧠 4. Instinctual resource assessment

• Hummingbirds are strategic. If a female senses that the territory is overcrowded, or that predators (including larger birds or non-auntie Paige humans) are nearby, she may hold off on nesting.

🌸 5. Territory is claimed by a dominant female

• In areas like my hummingbird sanctuary, where dozens of feeders, plenty of flowers and a veritable cornucopia of insects are available, dominant females stake claim to prime zones.

• Subordinate females may still feed and live in the area but not nest there if it feels too competitive or unsafe.

• The more dominant female hummingbird is always the Chooser.
  

The Harsh Hatch Reality for Hummingbirds

The skies may be filled with dive dances and the boom chicka pow music of birdie bootie calls, but below the surface, something sobering lingers.

Not every female we see buzzing around our feeders will become a mother this season.

And even for those who do, the odds are stark:

There’s an 80% chance her eggs won’t hatch—and if they do, there’s another 80% chance her babies won’t survive their first year. That means only 4 out of every 100 eggs will become yearlings.

And yet, she builds the nest. She lays the egg. She chooses, because that’s what she was made to do.

She does her job and I do mine. My job is to create an ecosystem of possibility to provide them with a place where they at least have the option to choose.

What does “being the Chooser” look like in your life right now?

Not every conundrum is a problem that needs to be solved. Sometimes, it’s a unique operating system that deserves to be understood and celebrated.

You already know your greatest strength: you think differently. You see the world in fractals and fragments, grasping the whole and the parts individually and simultaneously.

Are you ready to stop apologizing for how you are and start embracing who you are with radical authenticity?

The Neurosparkle Newsletter is your invitation to do just that. 

Each week, we deliver insights and strategies that help you harness your unique way of processing the world, offering a community where your perspective isn’t just accepted—it’s valued.

One final Fun Fact about HummingBirdie Bootie Calls:

Even if a female hummingbird doesn’t lay eggs in a given season, she may still engage in mating behaviors, including the “fly-by bootie call.”

Why a Female Might Participate in Mating Rituals Without Laying Eggs

1. Instinctual Response, Not Commitment

• The mating ritual is triggered by instinct and stimulus, not necessarily the intention to reproduce.

2. Mate Selection Practice

• Younger or first-year females may “entertain” males as practice—learning to observe displays and assess mates for future years.

3. Power & Territory Dynamics

• Sometimes, responding to a male’s dive is part of maintaining her territory, keeping him engaged just long enough to distract him or manipulate male presence around her feeding grounds.

4. Hormonal But Not Fertile

• Just like humans, she may experience hormonal cycles even if she’s not ovulating or building a nest. The drive and the outcome aren’t always aligned.

🧠 Translation in Neurosparkle Terms

Sometimes she lets him do his little dive and sexy dance, and then flies off—no nest, no mess, no regrets. Because choosing not to choose is still a choice.