Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Male
Photo © by etow
North Central Ohio, USA, July 2004

Archilochus colubris

Identification

3 1/2" (9 cm)
Needle-like bill, metallic green above, white below, buff sides, white-tipped outer tail feathers, brilliant, iridescent red throat which females and immature males lack.

Female
Photo © by KC Foggin
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, USA April 2009

Similar Species

Averages shorter-billed and longer-tailed than Black-chinned Hummingbird, with wing tip straighter and narrower.

Distribution

Southern Canada and USA - east of the Rocky Mountains; winters to Central America and rarely to the Caribbean.

Taxonomy

This is a monotypic species^[1].

Habitat

Suburban gardens, parks, and woodlands.

Behaviour

Juvenile
Photo © byKC Foggin
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, USA, Augus 2016

Breeding

The 2 white eggs are laid in a nest which has been woven from soft plant material. It is held together with spider silk and then covered with lichen.

Diet

The diet includes nectar, but Ruby-throated Hummingbird can also be seen taking insects and tree sap from woodpecker (sapsucker) drilling and insects taken in flight.

References

1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2017. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2017, with updates to August 2017. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. What Bird

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Ruby-throated Hummingbird. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 27 December 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Ruby-throated_Hummingbird

External Links

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