![A male Rufous Hummingbird in profile perched on the tip of a budding branch.](https://media.audubon.org/image/engagement-cards/rufous_hummingbird_boebatyapa_1200x657.jpg?width=345&height=219&auto=webp&quality=10&fit=crop&enable=upscale&blur=100)
Taken in the Tandayapa Valley in Ecuador, this silhouette invites both awe and a hint of mystery. The bird pictured is a fawn-breasted hummingbird, says photographer Mark Thomas.
Using multiple strobes set at very low power, Thomas was able to selectively light the background, creating the silhouette you see here of a hummingbird with wings spread apart, approaching a flower to feed.
This image was a Top 100 photo from the 2013 Audubon Magazine Photography Awards. To see all of the photos, click here.