![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)
Despite their beautiful blue plumes, Eurasian Rollers have earned a rather unflattering nickname: vomit birds. Nestlings of this species have developed a crude but effective form of self-defense, vomiting when they are afraid in order to make themselves less appetizing. Eurasian rollers inhabit corners of the Middle East, Europe, central Asia, and Morocco.
This image was a Top 100 photo from the 2011 Audubon Magazine Photography Awards. To see all of the photos, click here.