Woodpeckers, Doves & Other Land Birds
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Archilochus colubris
The only hummingbird that nests in the eastern United States. It weighs about as much as a penny, yet many fly nonstop across the Gulf of Mexico in migration.
How to identify it
- Tiny, with a glittering green back
- Male: brilliant red throat that can look black in shade
- Female: white throat and underparts
- Long, needle-like bill; hovers at flowers and feeders
SizeSmaller than a Carolina Chickadee
Ruby-throated Hummingbird3 in
Carolina Chickadee4 in
Song Sparrow6 in
American Robin10 in
6 inAverage length, bill to tail
Details
- Size
- 2.8–3.5 in long; wingspan 3–4.3 in
- Weight
- 0.1–0.2 oz
- Habitat
- Gardens, woodland edges, yards with feeders and flowers
- When to see it
- Summer across the East (March–October); winters in Central America
- Diet
- Flower nectar, sugar water from feeders, tiny insects
Range in the United States
Life history
Food
Drinks nectar from tubular flowers and feeders, and catches tiny insects and spiders for protein.
Nesting
A tiny cup of plant down and spider silk, covered in lichen, on a small branch.
- Clutch
- 1–3 eggs (usually 2)
- Incubation
- 12–14 days
- Young
- Fledge at about 18–22 days
- Broods
- 1–2 per year
Behavior
Males are fiercely territorial at feeders. Females raise the young alone.
Conservation
Common and stable.
Cool facts
- Its wings beat about 53 times per second.
- Many cross the Gulf of Mexico nonstop, a flight of about 500 miles.
- The nest stretches with spider silk as the chicks grow.
Songs & calls
▶Bird sounds video coming soon
Watch the Ruby-throated Hummingbird
▶Video coming soon