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Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Archilochus colubris
Trochilidae
Male with iridescent red throat
Female has light underparts and white tip on tail
Common sight at suburban feeders
Conspicuous, right? But its small size often ...
... lost to view in vegetation, sometimes even mistaken for ...
... nectar-sipping sphinx moth, also called hummingbird moth
Female inconspicuous in black cherry on Audubon Hill
Wings can beat 50 to 200 times per second!
Long beak enables it to ...
... probe long tubular flowers like honeysuckle and ...
... cardinal flower for nectar
Pollen sticking to head feathers fertilizes next plant visited
Long tongue also very effective in gleaning small insects
Nest starts out tiny and inconspicuous ...
... built entirely by female to hold clutch of 1 to 3 eggs
Nest expands as nestlings grow
No tree branch, no problem; nest adapted to suburban porch
Single mother feeds fledgling
Throat with a spot of red in September ...
... fully ruby red by following May

Based on records from 2002 through 2023 for Salter Grove, the Ruby-throated Hummingbird was only first documented at the end of July in 2021.  No sightings were reported during 2022 but was observed again during July and September of 2023. 

It is a conspicuous visitor to backyards with hummingbird feeders, but could be easily missed as it zips through vegetation in the park like a large insect.  Good vantage points include the lawn area south of the parking lot and along the woody vegetation bordering Audubon Field.

The Ruby-throated Hummingbird breeds in the eastern two-thirds of North America.  It prefers the edges of deciduous woodland, and has benefited from suburban development, especially where nectar-bearing flowers and feeders are abundant.  It winters in Central America where it frequents dry forests, orchards and old fields.

The Ruby-throated Hummingbird is extraordinary in many respects.  It is so small that it is the only bird at Salter Grove that could be mistaken for a large insect such as a sphinx moth, also called hummingbird moth because it hovers to feed at flowers with nectar.

Weighing in at 3 (2 to 4) grams, the equivalent of 3 potato chips, or a penny--it is able to double its fat mass to fuel a migration of 600 miles.  Birds that breed in southern Canada may winter as far away as Panama and will fly non-stop cross the Gulf of Mexico for 20 hours.

As early as 1936, the Ruby-throated Hummingbird's wing movement was studied with high-speed photography that generated 540 images a second.  The results were astounding.  Its wings beat 55 times per second when hovering, 61 a second when backing up, and 75 a second when moving forward.  A later study found that wings of the male move over 200 a second during courtship displays.

Not only its wings, but the entire bird can move quickly.  A driver going at 50 miles per hour on a highway reported that a hummingbird not only kept pace with the vehicle but also passed it before turning away towards a different direction.

It is well-known that hummingbirds are attracted to orange or red tubular flowers to feed on nectar with their long beaks.  Less well known is their appetite for small insects like flies and wasps, and the spiders associated with these flowers.  The long nectar-sipping tongue is just as effective for gleaning small insects from different plant parts and from spider webs.  Besides floral nectar, the Ruby-throated Hummingbird also feeds on sugar-rich sap at tree holes excavated by woodpeckers.

It tends to be solitary and both males and females defend respective feeding territories.  Males expend a great deal of energy courting a female but a mated pair will part ways immediately after copulation.  The female builds the nest and provide all care for young.  Unusual among birds, both males and females may have multiple mates within a breeding season.

Because of its small size, the Ruby-throated Hummingbird is attractive prey not only to raptors like the Merlin or Sharp-shinned Hawk, but also, believe it or not, has been captured by fish, frogs and dragonflies.  However, its most common predator is the domestic cat skulking around feeders.