Scientific Name:              Archilochus colubris
Common Name(s):         Ruby-throated Hummingbird

©JefferyW

Identification:

The ruby-throated hummingbird is a small bird with a body length between 3 to 3.5 inches, a wingspan between 3 to 4.5 inches. The males are usually smaller, with an average weight of 3.5 grams, while females have an average weight of 4.0 grams. For context, one modern US penny weighs 2.5 grams. Mature males also have shorter bills, a forked tail with black iridescent feather tips, and a ruby-red throat patch, called a gorget, used to attract females. Females have a fan-shaped tail with white tips and a white throat patch. Both sexes molt their feathers once a year, beginning in the fall. Males acquire red gorget feathers after their first molt. Before their first molt, juvenile males and smaller females are not easily distinguished from one another. Interestingly, hummingbird legs lack knees and are very short. They have four toes on their feet, three pointing forward and the other backward, which aids in gripping flower stems and petals.

Ruby-throated hummingbird range map

 

Range:

Hummingbirds migrate yearly and overwinter in Central America, Mexico, and Florida. They breed in the summer in Canada and Eastern North America. This species has the most extensive breeding range of all North American hummingbirds.

Ecology:

Ruby-throated hummingbirds are the most common hummingbirds in North America and are in the order Apodiformes, which includes swifts, tree swifts, and hummingbirds. The order’s name originates from the Greek word “apodiforme,” meaning “footless,” and refers to the short knee-less legs that have limited function outside perching.

Hummingbirds are nestled into the family Trochilidae, which are distinguished from other birds by their wing anatomy. Their wings differ from other birds in that they connect at the shoulder joint, which allows their wing to rotate 180 degrees. This wing formation enables hummingbirds to fly forward, backward, upside down, and hover mid-air. Additionally, they have a relatively short humorous bone, the bone that connects to the shoulder, and massive deltoid-pectoral muscles in their wing, further facilitating hovering flight.

Ruby-throated hummingbirds are only social during courtship. During courtship, males use many signals to attract females. They use their red gorget to attract females along with rapid “tik-tik tik-tik tik-tik” vocalizations. Males also show their physical fitness by performing courtship flights to attract females, rapidly beating their wings, and performing dramatic U-shaped dives. Additionally, females factor in the male’s feeding territory, which males defend vigorously by physically chasing away other males while using squeaking chirps. Once they have copulated, males leave females to raise the young.

After courtship, the white coffee-bean-sized eggs are incubated for 11 to 16 days. Females have up to 2 broods per season and begin building the second nest while feeding the young of the first brood. Young hummingbirds leave the nest or fledge at 20-22 days.

Ruby-throated hummingbirds have the longest migration of any North American hummingbird species, with a 900-mile journey across the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean to the Eastern United States. Five hundred miles of this journey is a non-stop flight over the ocean without food or water that can take up to 20 hours. During flight, their heart rate is around 1200 beats per minute. For comparison, humans have an average maximum heart rate of 200 beats per minute.

Special Notes:

Ruby-throated hummingbirds can be found in gardens, woodland edges, open woods, city parks, and open habitats with flowers. Hummingbirds feed on flower nectar with their bill and long tongues. They also catch small insects while flying or off foliage. Sometimes, they take spiders or trapped insects from spider webs. Of the 366 species of hummingbirds in North America, the ruby-throated hummingbird is the only hummingbird species with Arkansas in its native range.

Yellow electric fence insulators that were once widely used were death traps for hummingbirds. They mistook the insulators for flowers and became electrocuted when they tried to feed. New designs have largely eliminated this problem.

If you would like to attract ruby-throated hummingbirds to your house, avoid planting non-native honeysuckles such as Amur honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii) and Japanese honeysuckle (L. japonica) since they are a lower quality food source and out-compete the native honeysuckle in this area. Plant native vines, such as trumpet vine (Campsis radicans) and coral honeysuckle (L. sempervirens), to attract hummingbirds and give them high-quality food. Mold growth is a significant concern for outdoor hummingbird feeders, so ensure that the sugar-water base is boiled and cooled before being put into the feeder. Additionally, replace the sugar solution at least once or twice a week to avoid mold growth that can hurt or kill hummingbirds.