Ruby-throated Hummingbird

(Archilochus colubris)

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A Field Guide to Eastern Birds. by Roger Tory Peterson.

Return to Eastern Hummingbirds

Male

Female

Color Photographs: © by and courtesy of John Cassady

Female

Color Photographs: © by Corel Corp.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris)

Identification: Length from tip of bill to tip of tail 3.5 inches.

Male: Back and crown of head metallic green. Bill long and narrow, straight or slightly curved downward. Lower half of head and throat bright red (in the right light). Tips of wings dark brown. Tail short and stubby.

Female: Similar to the male, but throat dull white with vague dark streaks.

Similar Species:  For all practical purposes the Ruby-throated Hummingbird is the only hummingbird in eastern North America. The Rufous Hummingbird sometimes winters in small numbers along the Gulf Coast or is seen in migration. The male has extensive areas of red-brown and the female has red-brown on the tail.

Breeding Range (see map below): The Ruby-throated Hummingbird breeds throughout the eastern United States and southeastern Canada. Its range extends westward into the Canadian Prairie Provinces.

Overwintering Range:  This species overwinters in the American Tropics.

Habitat: The Ruby-throated Hummingbird is found in woodlands, city suburbs, and parks.

Food: Nectar and small, flying insects.

Behavior: Hummingbirds, in general, are very active animals, with an extremely rapid wing beat and fast, darting aerial movements. The are able to hover in place or fly backwards. They feed on both flower nectar and small, flying insects. They are particuarly attracted to red. tubular flowers. Hummingbird feeders are colored and shaped to simulate this flower form. Despite their small size, these birds make long distance migrations in the fall and spring to and from the American tropics. During courtship the female sits on a perch and watches a male do a dance consisting of wide swings in the air in a pendulum motion, all the while making a buzzing noise.

Reproduction:  The clutch consists of 2 white eggs. The eggs are laid in a nest constructed of plant down held together with spider silk and covered with bits of lichen. The nest is attached to a tree branch or limb.