- 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.
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
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
- 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/
- What Bird
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
