“I got goosebumps.”
One afternoon at his electronics shop in Brazil, Edy Varela noticed a tiny hummingbird struggling to fly just outside his door. The little bird, fluttering awkwardly, kept bumping into objects, clearly having trouble staying airborne.
Though Varela wasn’t a bird specialist, it was obvious something wasn’t right.
“She looked exhausted and weak,” Varela shared with us. “I could tell she needed help.” Despite his lack of experience with birds, Varela knew he had to act, even though caring for a hummingbird wasn’t something he was familiar with.
As he gently held the bird in his hands, Varela stepped outside, unsure of his next move. That’s when a surprising visitor arrived—the hummingbird’s anxious mother.
“I got chills,” Varela said. “It was such a beautiful and rare moment.” Seeing the little bird wasn’t completely alone, Varela didn’t just hand over full responsibility to the mother. He decided to continue helping out until the little one regained her strength.
For three days, the baby hummingbird stayed in Varela’s shop, her mother returning to feed and care for her. Finally, the day arrived when the young bird was strong enough to fly again.
“She flew away with her mother,” Varela said.
In response to Varela’s original post, biologist Nathália Diniz explained that the hummingbird was likely a fledgling still learning to fly, relying on her mother for guidance.
But the bustling city streets around Varela’s shop weren’t the safest environment for a fledgling. “Your choice to offer her a safe haven in your store was amazing,” Diniz wrote to him. “In urban areas, young birds face unique dangers not found in nature.”
Thanks to Varela’s compassion, the little bird found refuge—and maybe even a new friend for life.
“She still visits the shop,” Varela said, “occasionally flying in and out.”