I made my own paper hummingbird! I've never seen a hummingbird in real life, but I've always been fascinated by these tiny birds. After looking through lots of reference photos, I chose the rufous hummingbird as the main inspiration for this project. Hummingbirds come in many different species and colors, making them a wonderful subject for a paper sculpture.
Looking back, I think I should have made my bird's bill a little longer, and the colors don't exactly match a real rufous hummingbird. In the end, I like to think I created my own unique species.
At the end of this page, you'll find the templates I made for this DIY hummingbird. They don't include every single detail, but they provide the basic body shape and several feather templates to help you get started.
If you'd like to see every step of the process, watch the full paper bird tutorial on my YouTube channel.
Full tutorial on my YouTube channel:
*This isn't meant to be a perfect copy of a real hummingbird. Real birds have hundreds of feathers, and recreating every tiny detail would make this project much more complicated. My goal was to make the bird look as realistic as possible while still keeping it fun and practical to build from paper.
Use my templates as a guide, and don't be afraid to make your own adjustments. You might even create your own unique hummingbird, just like I did!*
The Base
To build the base of this cardboard bird craft, glue together the body using cardboard and a toilet paper roll. Like I show in my video.
Use wire and thin cardboard to create the wings. I intentionally made the wings slightly larger than needed because I trimmed them to the correct size later. Thin cardboard, such as cardboard from a toilet paper roll, works well. Another option is to wrap the wire with packing paper to create a lightweight base.
Making the Feathers
Tail
I used orange construction paper to make the tail feathers. After cutting them into shape, I colored each feather individually. I also made a template, which you can find at the end of this page.
Wings
For the wing feathers, I used white paper and painted each feather with watered-down black acrylic paint. After cutting them out, I added more details with a watercolor pencil. The feathers still looked too light, so after assembling the wings, I painted over them with a darker color and trimmed to the right shape.
Body
I colored white paper with a mustard-yellow shade. I also colored yellow paper with an orange-red tone and painted some brown paper for the feathers on top of the head.
For the feathers that needed to hold their shape, I used regular paper. For the tummy and back, I used colored packing paper, which I lightly distressed with a craft knife to create texture. Using recycled materials like packing paper makes this paper bird craft even more fun.
Painting
At this stage, the bird looked almost finished, but I wanted to unify the colors after all the feathers were glued in place. I painted over the surface with acrylic paint to give the paper hummingbird a more natural and cohesive look.
To create the iridescent shine on the throat feathers, I mixed chameleon pigment powder into iridescent acrylic paint.
Other Details
Legs
I twisted four pieces of wire together to make the legs, then painted them black. If you're using black wire, you can skip this step.
Display
To display my finished paper sculpture, I glued a piece of clear straw to an artificial flower I already had. The hummingbird's bill fits perfectly inside it, making it look as though the bird is drinking nectar.
Final Thoughts
Even though a hummingbird is a very small bird, creating this DIY paper hummingbird was still a challenge. I spent a lot of time studying reference photos and learning about its body structure before I started building it.
I'm really happy with how this paper hummingbird turned out, and I hope this paper bird tutorial inspires you to create your own. If you enjoy making birds, paper sculptures, or cardboard bird crafts from recycled materials, be sure to check out my other tutorials as well.
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FINAL PHOTOS
Reference photos
STENCIL
