The band relocated to Dessner's home in New York City, with vocalist and keyboardist Kelcey Ayer, stating "It was awesome because we stayed upstairs on the two top floors, and he and his family are downstairs, and the studio is in the back.

We didn’t set out to make a darker or sadder record, but we always write, for the most part, based on our experiences, so it’s a kind of window into the last few years.

[15] Larry Fitzmaurice of Pitchfork concluded that, "With Hummingbird, Local Natives have made a thoughtful, lovely album with small gestures that provide great rewards".

Club stated that it "is an album of hidden rewards, a record to pick and choose tracks from in order to purvey a single feeling or contribute to the perfect mixtape.

[6] Magnet offered a critique of the album, stating "Unwilling or unable to ascend the vertiginous heights of 2009 debut Gorilla Manor, Hummingbird instead buries its beak in the sand.

"[17] All songs written by Local Natives; "Heavy Feet", "Breakers", and "Wooly Mammoth" co-written by Aaron Dessner.