Characteristics of Ruby-Throated Hummingbird

The most plentiful hummingbird in the eastern half of North America is the ruby-throated hummingbird. The ruby-throated birds are known to be the most curious of the species and are attracted to bird feeders. Ruby-throats are territorial so if they claim a feeder, they defend it ferociously. A female hummer tolerates her young sharing a feeder for about 10 days and then the birds are rivals. The typical life-span of a ruby-throat hummingbird is three to five years.

  1. Physical Description

    • The backs and crowns of adult male and female ruby-throated hummingbirds are emerald green with bellies that are grayish-white. The male has an iridescent red throat. The young male and female look like the adult female. Young males start to get some red spots on the throats in August or September. The average length of ruby-throated hummingbirds is approximately 3.5 inches; they weigh about 1/8 ounce and their body temperature ranges anywhere from 105 to 108 degrees Fahrenheit. If you have ever been close to a ruby-throat, you know their wings beat at an amazing rate. The number of beats per second is anywhere from 40 to 80 with the average number about 52. The bird's heart rate is about 250 beats per minute when resting. The bird's speed is about 50 mph when in flight from harm and is about 63 mph when diving.

    Courtship

    • The courtship of ruby-throats is short. Once mating has occurred, the female is exclusively responsible for raising the young hummers. Ruby-throats lay two white pea sized eggs in a walnut-sized nest which the female built alone. The nest is made by using flower bud scales and is affixed to a limb of a tree with spider silk. The ruby-throat female adds camouflage by putting lichens around the outside of the nest and covers the inside with the down from dandelions, cattails or thistle. The nest is amazingly flexible as it grows to accommodate the growth of the baby hummers. It is not uncommon for a ruby-throat to reuse or rebuild the same nest in consecutive years.

    Migration

    • Ruby-throats can be found in southern Canada and as far south as the Gulf of Mexico. Generally, they migrate to Mexico or to the Caribbean during winter. It is believed that these birds make a non-stop flight over the Gulf of Mexico which is reputed to take anywhere from 18 to 20 hours. They arrive at their destination typically in late February or the first part of March. They then begin to follow the spring flower blooms north and can be expected to arrive back in their home habitat on a certain date plus or minus two days of the expected date.