Name That Hummingbird

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Adult Male… © 2007 Heather Lannie – calphotos.berkeley.edu

Adult Female… www.wikipedia.org

Juvenile… © G. K. Peck – www.on.ec.gc.ca

Ruby-Throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris)…

The Ruby-throated hummingbirds are small – the mature adults are only 3 inches in length. It is the only species of hummingbird that regularly nests east of the Mississippi River in North America.

Both male and female adult Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds are metallic green above and greyish white below, with near-black wings. Their bill is long, straight and very slender.

The adult male Ruby-Throated Hummingbird has an iridescent ruby red throat patch which may appear black in some lighting, and a dark forked tail. He is smaller than the female, and has a slightly shorter beak. A molt of feathers occurs once per annum, and begins during the autumn migration.

The female Ruby-Throated Hummingbird has a dark rounded tail with white tips and generally no throat patch, though she may sometimes have a light or whitish throat patch.

The Ruby-Throated Hummingbird is migratory, spending most of the winter in southern Mexico, Central America as far south as South America, and the West Indies. It is known to frequent essential shade coffee plantations. Although this species is not considered endangered, and has adapted well to human-modified habitat, deforestation in their winter ranges has caused considerable concern.

Amazingly, this has prompted “bird friendly” movements around the world. One of the most beneficial and widely recognized is the return to “shade-grown” coffee plantations that provide food and shelter to wintering hummingbirds.

The breeding habitat is throughout most of eastern North America and the Canadian prairies, in deciduous and pine forests at forest edges, orchards, and gardens.

The female builds a nest in a protected location in a shrub or tree. She incubates two jelly bean sized eggs for 11 to 14 days. The fledglings leave the nest 14 to 28 days after hatching. She will raise two broods each year (and even three if conditions are optimum). Young birds are fed insects for protein since nectar is an insufficient source of protein for the growing birds.

Ruby-throated hummingbirds are solitary. Adults of this species typically only come into contact for the purpose of mating, and both males and females of any age aggressively defend feeding locations within their territory. The aggressiveness becomes most pronounced in late summer to early fall as they fatten up for migration.

Acknowledgements: www.wikipedia.com  & www.usgs.gov

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Video… “2007 Ruby-throated Hummingbird Clips 1″

Thanks to russlouky for posting this video on www.YouTube.com

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Ruby-Throated Hummingbird… Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) Map Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) This survey is typically performed in June by volunteers on over 4000 bird counts. The counts are done by vehicle during the morning. Many nocturnal or less vocal species are not well surveyed by the BBS. Data from this survey is used to generate the BBS maps. Courtesy of www.usgs.gov

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Ruby-Throated Hummingbird… Christmas Bird Count (CBC) Map Christmas Bird Count (CBC) This survey is typically performed in one calendar day, any time from mid-December to early January by volunteers. Birds are counted in an area with a 15 mile radius. Data from this survey is used to generate the CBC maps. Courtesy of www.usgs.gov

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