Ruby-Throated Hummingbird

Designed by Michael G. LaFosse

In New England, the most common hummingbird is the Ruby-Throated Hummingbird, so I was familiar with them from backyard feeders. In 1997, I was fortunate to live at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum in Tucson, for an artist-in-residence program that lead to my creation of a museum-full of origami animals and plants of the desert. Hummingbirds are abundant in Arizona, and I enjoyed this opportunity to study dozens of them up close, in a walk-in aviary. The greatest challenge with this model is discovering the correct posture. We can't see the wings of a hovering hummingbird, but we definitely see the bird's unique posture as silhouetted from the side. Your origami model should capture the essence of this tiny, yet powerful bird, capable of kicking into high gear at an instant.