Few animals are as dazzling to the eye as hummingbirds — but as their brilliant, iridescent forms flit through the air, they often offer only fleeting glimpses of their beauty.
It’s no surprise, then, that even people who know hummingbirds intimately may
never have noticed one remarkable detail.
Turns out, hummingbirds' little eyes are ringed with tiny feathers that look remarkably like eyelashes.
Nicolas Reusens is a wildlife photographer whose work often focuses on hummingbirds. During a visit to the Hummingbird Sanctuary (Santuario de Colibríes) in Mexico City, he captured these stunning close-up images of a hummingbird’s eye.
His photographs revealed something few people have ever had the chance to appreciate in such detail — a neat row of minute feathers surrounding the bird’s eye.
"When I saw the detail of this particular hummingbird, I was blown away: those tiny symmetrical feathers, perfectly aligned," Reusens told The Dodo. "Absolutely amazing!"
For nearly 20 years, Catia Lattouf has rescued and released hummingbirds at the Hummingbird Sanctuary. Each year, she successfully releases 300 to 500 birds, most of whom came into her care sick or injured, and she coaches other rescuers worldwide in their efforts to rehabilitate them.
Yet even for Lattouf, Reusens’ photos revealed something new.
“I’ve never seen photos like the ones he took. They’re unbelievable,” Lattouf told The Dodo. “The ‘eyelashes’ — I’ve never seen that in a hummingbird. They’re so symmetrical. It’s like art, like a painting. Something you can’t describe.”
Hummingbirds have long been a source of fascination, with their beauty inspiring countless admirers through the ages. But thanks to Reusens’ photography, one thing is clear — a closer look only adds to their wonder.
