A new helmet with a built-in bird feeder allows wearers to get amazing face to face contact with nature.

The wearable hummingbird feeder holds a sugar-water solution that is dispensed through a tube that exits between the eyes of the mask.

Birds hover in front of the wearer's face for up to 30 seconds as they drink.

Hummingbirds are able to assess the amount of sugar in the nectar they eat and reject flower types that produce nectar which is less than 10 per cent sugar.

They will also take sugar water from artificial feeders, which provide a reliable source of energy especially when flower blossoms are less abundant.

The full face mask, which is covered in images of red rhododendrons to further attract the birds, protects your eyes and face from being pecked.

Designer Doyle Doss, from California, United States, advises people to go to the toilet before using the eye2eye mask because there can often be a wait for a bird to arrive.

He said: "You're sitting quietly, with restricted vision and staying still, when wham - there's a hummingbird in your face.

"It happens so fast and is a definite adrenaline rush.

"I tell folks that hummingbirds are the alcoholics of the bird world - never get between them and the bottle of sugar water."

The mask is placed over a can of paint for a few days to allow the birds to get used to it.

Once the birds appear comfortable with the mask, somebody puts it on, sits on a chair next to the can of paint and waits for a bird to arrive.

The website where the masks are sold for 49 pounds, says: "If you are serious about hummingbirds this feeder will take your relationship with your hummingbirds to a whole new level.

"Individual characteristics become very noticeable when you can inspect the hummers at this very intimate close distance.

"They sound different, they feed differently, they arrive at the station differently."

Hummingbirds can hover in mid-air by rapidly flapping their wings 12-90 times per second and can fly at speeds of up to 34 miles per hour.

Their name derives from the characteristic hum made by their rapid wing beats.

The majority of species are found in tropical and subtropical Central and South America.