Praying Mantis vs Hummingbird: Who Would Win in a Fight?

Written by Kyle Glatz
Updated: March 9, 2023
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Hummingbirds are known for being some of the smallest birds in North America, so it’s easy to assume that they’re somewhat helpless against most aggressors. What about if they were pitted up against an insect such as the praying mantis? After all, it’s just a bug, so the hummingbird should have no problem winning a fight, right? Let’s take a closer look at the tale of the tape between a praying mantis vs hummingbird, and we’ll show you why this battle is more complex than you might think!

Comparing a Praying Mantis and a Hummingbird

Hummingbirds are not equipped with fighting skills and a praying mantis will win a fight with this bird.
Praying MantisHummingbird
SizeWeight: 0.14oz to 0.18oz
Length: Between 2.75 inches and 5 inches, but some grow upwards of 6 inches or more
Weight: 0.07oz-0.7oz
Height: 2in-8in
Speed and Movement Type0.5 mph  30 mph  
SensesPoor hearing, but capable of sensing “ultrasound”, the echolocation used by predator bats
Great vision since they are the only invertebrate to see in 3D
– Smell is limited to pheromones from others  
– Fantastic vision that allows them to see many different colors, including ultraviolet ones
Good hearing, especially high-frequency sounds.
– Little or no sense of smell, but studies continue on the topic
Defenses– Male praying mantises can fly, but females cannot
– Effective ability to dodge bats
– Camouflage  
– Speed
Ability to fly backward and upside down helps them move away from adverse situations
Offensive Capabilities– Long, powerful, spiny forelegs help them trap prey
Powerful mandibles allow them to bite and consume prey
– Pecking, but their bills are small  
Predatory Behavior– Ambush predator that seeks to trap and hold their prey while they quickly consume it  – Eats prey whole    

The Key Factors in a Fight Between a Praying Mantis and a Hummingbird

Giant African mantis or bush mantis sitting on a branch.

A fight between a praying mantis and hummingbird would come down to physical and mental factors

©Karel Bartik/Shutterstock.com

Hummingbirds are not equipped with fighting skills and a praying mantis will typically win a fight with this bird. A fight between a praying mantis and hummingbird would depend on many factors including physical size and fighting capabilities. Many fights in the animal kingdom are decided by size and strength alone, with even the most cunning animals capable of losing to a larger opponent. That’s why we’re going to look at this fight from many perspectives to surmise which creature stands the best chance.  

What Are Key Differences Between a Praying Mantis and a Hummingbird?

close up of a ruby-throated hummingbird

Hummingbirds are small birds with long bills and colorful feathers.

©iStock.com/Jessica Maruszewski

The main differences between a praying mantis and a hummingbird are their species and body type. The praying mantis is an insect from the Mantidae family, and hummingbirds are birds from the Trochilidae family.

Praying mantises are green or brown insects with an exoskeleton, and they have distinctive features such as wings and raptorial arms that give them their distinctive “praying” look. Hummingbirds are very small birds with long, thin bills, iridescent, colorful feathers, and small wings that they beat up to 80 times per minute to stay aloft.

These creatures are very distinct from one another and easy to tell apart, but their differences are more than physical. These animals hunt differently and have completely cognitive abilities!

Physical Features of a Praying Mantis and a Hummingbird

Largest hummingbirds - Sword-Billed Hummingbird

Hummingbirds have very long bills, and most of these birds are larger than praying mantises

©Ondrej Prosicky/Shutterstock.com

The physical features of a praying mantis and hummingbird give us tremendous insight into the fighting capabilities of these two creatures. By looking at their size, speed, and other factors, we’ll have a good idea of which animal has the greatest advantages over the other when it comes to combat.

Praying Mantis vs Hummingbird: Size

Hummingbirds are larger than praying mantises. Specifically, praying mantises are shorter than hummingbirds overall, and many of them weigh less than the birds, too. Praying mantises will weigh about 0.18oz at their maximum and can stand up to 5 inches tall, but some grow up to 6 inches in rare cases.

Hummingbirds grow between 2 inches and 8 inches in height, and they only weigh about 0.07-0.7 ounces. However, depending on the species, you can find bigger praying mantises than hummingbirds.

Nevertheless, hummingbirds have the size advantage due to their higher growth potential.

Praying Mantis vs Hummingbird: Speed and Movement

Hummingbirds are faster than praying mantises by a fair amount. Hummingbirds can fly at speeds of 30 mph, but the praying mantis only moves on the ground at 0.5 mph. The males can fly, but not very fast, and the females cannot fly at all owing to their large size. Still, praying mantises have very quick reflexes.

Hummingbirds have the advantage in terms of speed and movement.

Praying Mantis vs Hummingbird: Senses

Hummingbirds have great vision that lets them differentiate between colors and shapes and they also hear well. Praying mantises can hear ultrasounds, the echolocation used by bats. They also have amazing vision as the only invertebrate to see in 3D. However, their low-end smell and hearing put them at a disadvantage.  

Hummingbirds have the sensory advantage against praying mantises.

Praying Mantis vs Hummingbird: Physical Defenses

Hummingbirds only have their speed and ability to fly forward, backward, and upside down as defenses. However, praying mantises can listen for predators and dodge at the last second, or they can use their camouflage. Although males can fly, females cannot.

All in all, hummingbirds have more effective physical defenses than praying mantises.

Combat Skills of a Praying Mantis and a Hummingbird

baby hummingbirds eating

Female hummingbirds

are very aggressive towards outsiders near their nests, but they aren’t great fighters.

©ukrit.wa/Shutterstock.com

Fighting is the one thing that praying mantises do right. They are highly aggressive and very capable predators. Typically, they will ambush their prey, grab it with their raptorial arms that are lined with spikes, and start eating it alive by tearing chunks of it with its huge mandibles.

Hummingbirds are not as adept at fighting. They have long beaks, but they’re not used for combat. Instead, hummingbirds will fly into other birds to scare them away from their nests. They can’t take their full bill and stab it into another creature. In fact, unless it was a fatal hit, the predator’s weight would probably keep them stuck on the ground if they managed to stab a creature.

Who Would Win in a Fight Between a Praying Mantis and a Hummingbird?

Praying Mantis, Mantis religiosa, eating a grasshopper.

Praying mantises are too tough for hummingbirds to beat.

©iStock.com/artas

A praying mantis would win a fight against a hummingbird. Although it might seem completely counterintuitive to have a bug capable of killing a bird, the fact remains that hummingbirds are ill-suited to killing other creatures.

As video evidence suggests, the fight between these creatures would begin with an ambush. The praying mantis would set up near a hummingbird feeder or among flowers and wait for the bird to get close, using its color to blend in.

Once the hummingbird is close enough, the praying mantis would spring forth, grab it by the head, and start biting into the tiny bird. The strength and weight of the praying mantis would keep the hummingbird grounded and bite it to death, and that process might take a fair amount of time.

Unless the hummingbird somehow used its bill to kill the praying mantis at the outset of the fight, it would not win this battle. However, if a hummingbird spotted a praying mantis heading toward its young and got the first strike, it might stand a chance of winning.

Animals That Could Take Down a Praying Mantis

The praying mantis is a highly aggressive predator that’s capable of hunting and killing animals larger than it, including the hummingbird, so which animals could win a fight against a praying mantis?

Firstly, a praying mantis could take down another praying mantis. The females of the species are famous for biting the heads off their smaller, male partners and devouring them following the mating process. It’s thought they do this about 25% of the time and that the males are providing nourishment for their offspring after death. Studies show that females who eat their mates produce more eggs. Praying mantises can also fight and eat each other, especially when food sources are scarce.

The main predators of praying mantises are birds including chickens, bats, snakes, spiders, wasps, hornets, ants, scorpions, and frogs.

Birds much larger and more predatory than hummingbirds can swoop down and kill praying mantises who are lying in wait on plants for their own prey. One of its most common bird predators is the chicken, which is skilled at defeating and killing the praying mantis and can work with other chickens to attack one of these insects. Bats are also one of the most successful animals at hunting praying mantises as they are nocturnal and praying mantises are active at night.

Snake species including rattlesnakes, garter snakes, milk snakes, and western coachwhips often win battles against and eat praying mantises. Some venomous spiders will face-off against large praying mantises, with the redback ultimately using its venom to inject the insect and paralyze it.

Female hunting wasps could typically win a fight against a praying mantis by stinging it to paralyze it before breaking down its body by chewing it into pieces and often returning with it to its nest to feed its young. Large hornets including the Asian giant hornet like to hunt praying mantises during the summer and fall as they supply a valuable source of protein for the queens and drone larvae.

Carpenter ants and fire ants are two ant species that will attack in great numbers and kill a praying mantis if it strays too close to their territory.

Although the praying mantis is not a regular part of its diet, a scorpion has a high chance of winning in a fight due to its hard exoskeleton providing protection and ability to use its pincers to grab, hold and inject its prey with venom.

As praying mantises eat some frogs, frogs would be wise to only pick a fight with praying mantis if they are much larger. They are more likely to target praying mantis nymphs or the smaller species of praying mantis.

The photo featured at the top of this post is ©


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About the Author

Kyle Glatz is a writer at A-Z-Animals where his primary focus is on geography and mammals. Kyle has been writing for researching and writing about animals and numerous other topics for 10 years, and he holds a Bachelor's Degree in English and Education from Rowan University. A resident of New Jersey, Kyle enjoys reading, writing, and playing video games.

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