Human befriends hummingbird, names him Hector and brings wholesome joy to millions
"Hector the nectar collector" flies right up to the open window and drinks from Julian's hand.

Hector the hummingbird visits his human friend Julian in Oakland.
Hummingbirds are fascinating to watch, so people often put hummingbird feeders in their yards during the summer. But one special hummingbird and his human friend have taken that fascination to another extremely wholesome level.
Julian, better known as @birdperson666 on TikTok and Instagram, has gained over 2 million followers with videos of a neighborhood hummingbird named Hector's visits. Julian told ABC7 that it only took about five days for "Hector the nectar collector" to start eating from his hand and that Hector sometimes visits several times a day. The combination of Julian's deep, resonant voice and Hector's adorable, iridescent self makes for surprisingly addictive content.
Hummingbirds are quite a unique species, after all. Their wings beat around 70 times per second and up to 200 times per second during a dive. They are the only bird that can fly forward, backward and sideways and hover in the air. They're wicked fast—the Anna's hummingbird flies faster proportionally for its body size than a fighter jet. And they're wicked hungry, too, with a metabolism that requires them to consume twice their body weight in food each day.It's no wonder that Hector has regularly shown up at Julian's window for a snack for the past couple of years.
Julian's videos of Hector's visits started going viral early in the COVID-19 pandemic and most of them are delightfully similar. "Yo, Hectorrrrr," Julian calls from his open window while holding out a small feeder filled with sugar water. And Hector, bless his tiny little needle beak, dutifully flies over to say hi and take some sips.
@birdperson666 Take a load off! 😋
Sometimes Hector even lands on Julian's finger while he eats. Hummingbirds have sharp memories and recognize humans and their voices, so it's not just a coincidence that Hector routinely shows up to see Julian.
@birdperson666 take a chill 😋
Sometimes Hector will disappear for weeks or months and then return to Julian's window. (Hector belongs to a species that is non-migratory, so he has a permanent home nearby.)
Julian told ABC7 that he uses the Audubon Society's recipe for hummingbird nectar, which is four parts water to one part white granulated sugar, because that recipe is the closest in chemical makeup to natural flower nectar.
Much to their followers' chagrin, Julian moved to a new apartment in early 2023 and had to say goodbye to Hector. But thankfully, a little female hummingbird has already picked up where Hector left off, landing right on Julian's hand and offering hope for continued hummingbird joy.
@birdperson666 Maybe she’s born with it…
Thanks for sharing Hector and a love of hummingbirds with the world, Julian!
There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."