How to Detect a Female From a Male Hummingbird

Ruby-throated hummingbirds typically provide bird-enthusiasts with much viewing pleasure. Graceful and acrobatic, hummingbirds are best known for appearing to stay still in mid-air when feeding. Whether you plan to breed a pair of hummingbirds or are just curious, there are a few features the birds display that signifies their gender. Fortunately, ruby-throated hummingbirds are sexually dimorphic, which means their sex can be determined based on their external appearance. With a keen eye and understanding of hummingbird characteristics, you can impress your fellow bird-watchers with your knowledge of sexing hummingbirds.

Things You'll Need

• Binoculars

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Instructions

1. • 1

     Look at the throat of the hummingbird. If close enough, you may be able to fully see the throat of the bird, but if not, use binoculars to get a good look at this area.

   • 2

     Determine the color of the plumage, or feathers, of the throat. Males will have a bright, ruby-red color on their neck, while females will have white plumage, states the hummingbird information website RubyThroat.org.

   • 3

     Know that juvenile males can look like females. Juvenile males will display white throats with green or black streaks until their red plumage comes in. Typically, juvenile males will start to develop several red feathers on their throats near the end of summer and will have the entire throat area covered in red plumage by the end of their first winter.

   • 4

     Look at the hummingbird's tail. According to RubyThroat.org, males have pointed tail feathers that are dark. Females and juvenile males have rounded tail feathers that will have white tips on the outer three feathers on each side. Females also have fan-shaped tails, while males have forked tails. However, in the spring, only females will have white-tipped tails, because the juvenile males will have matured into their adult tail colors by then.