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You are here... (Hummingbirds) > Ruby-Throated Hummingbird |
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 Adult Male © 2007 Heather Lannie calphotos.berkeley.edu |
 Adult Female www.wikipedia.org |
 Juvenile © G. K. Peck www.on.ec.gc.ca |
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Ruby-Throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris)...The Ruby-throated hummingbirds are small - the mature adults are only 3 inches in length. It is the only species of hummingbird that regularly nests east of the Mississippi River in North America. Both male and female adults are metallic green above and greyish white below, with near-black wings. Their bill is long, straight and very slender. The adult male Ruby-throated has an iridescent ruby red throat patch which may appear black in some lighting, and a dark forked tail. He is smaller than the female, and has a slightly shorter beak. A molt of feathers occurs once per annum, and begins during the autumn migration. The female Ruby-throated has a dark rounded tail with white tips and generally no throat patch, though she may sometimes have a light or whitish throat patch. The Ruby-throated Hummingbird is migratory, spending most of the winter in southern Mexico, Central America as far south as South America, and the West Indies.
It is known to frequent essential shade coffee plantations. Although this species is not considered endangered, and has adapted well to human-modified habitat, deforestation in their winter ranges has caused considerable concern. Amazingly, this has prompted "bird friendly" movements around the world. One of the most beneficial and widely recognized is the return to "shade-grown" coffee plantations that provide food and shelter to wintering hummingbirds. The breeding habitat is throughout most of eastern North America and the Canadian prairies, in deciduous and pine forests and forest edges, orchards, and gardens. The female builds a nest in a protected location in a shrub or tree. She incubates two jelly bean sized eggs for 11 to 14 days. The fledglings leave the nest 14 to 28 days after hatching. She will raise two broods each year (and even three if conditions are optimum). Young birds are fed insects for protein since nectar is an insufficient source of protein for the growing birds.
They feed frequently while active during the day and when temperatures drop, particularly on cold nights, they may conserve energy by entering hypothermic torpor. Hummingbirds have many skeletal and flight muscle adaptations which allow the bird great agility in flight. Muscles make up 25-30% of their body weight, and they have long, blade-like wings that, unlike the wings of other birds, connect to the body only from the shoulder joint. This adaptation allows the wing to rotate almost 180°, enabling the bird to fly not only forward but also straight up and down, sideways, and backwards, and to hover in front of flowers as it feeds on nectar and insects.
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Ruby-Throated Hummingbird Video... "2007 Ruby-throated Hummingbird Clips
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Ruby-Throated Hummingbird
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Ruby-Throated Hummingbird
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