Bird of the Month: Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Ruby-throated Hummingbird. Photo by Jeff Bryant.

By Roger Digges, CCAS Vice-President

March’s bird of the month, the Red-winged Blackbird, was unusual in that males and females have such different plumage they look like they belong to two separate species. April’s bird of the month is unusual for very different reasons.

The smallest species by far in much of North America, this bird ranges in weight from 0.1 to 0.2 ounces, or somewhere between the weight of a dime and that of a nickel. It is no longer than the average person’s index finger. While the Red-winged Blackbird flaps its wings 6 times per second, this bird averages 53 wingbeats a second, so fast the wings become just a blur to an observer. April’s bird of the month can hover like a helicopter and precisely adjust its position up, down, even backwards. This remarkable avian species is the Ruby-throated Hummingbird, the only hummingbird commonly found in our area, or, for that matter, anywhere east of the Great Plains. (Western birders are privileged to have 14 other species to observe, although they don’t all occur in the same area.)

How you can identify a Ruby-throated Hummingbird depends on whether it is flying or perched. The rapid wing movement of a hummingbird in flight makes a low humming sound. Hence its generic name. You may also see its bright green back and top of its head as well as its lighter gray/white/greenish underside. Males have an iridescent ruby throat (in the right light; otherwise, it just looks dark) while females have a light-colored throat. It is easier to see these markings when the bird is perched, but harder then to find the bird. Much like the male Red-winged Blackbirds’ wing patches, these males’ throat display attracts the attention of rival males and willing females. Females’ green backs and light undersides and lack of a ruby throat allow them to blend in with the foliage and the sky when they are sitting on their nests. (Males don’t share nesting duties; they stay just long enough to court and mate.)

You can find Ruby-throated Hummingbirds in the wild by checking out flowering gardens (they love tubular flowers) or woodland edges. But the best way to see these incredible birds is by planting such flowers in your garden or putting up a hummingbird feeder. These birds usually begin arriving in late April, although they can come earlier, so you may want to put up your feeder as soon as the threat of freezing is past. You can buy a commercial feeder or make one of your own. All About Birds suggests that you fill it with a mixture of 1/4 cup kitchen sugar to a cup of water. You can store any excess nectar in your refrigerator. Change the sugar water at least once a week in cool weather and 2−3 times a week when it’s hot. Clean the feeder with warm soapy water after emptying it. Having hummingbird-friendly flowers in your yard will help attract them to your feeders.

How are Ruby-throated Hummingbirds doing? According to the North American Breeding Bird Survey, ruby-throat numbers have been steadily increasing for the last half-century (perhaps because of feeders). Partners in Flight estimate that there are 36 million Ruby-throated Hummingbirds.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird with its throat patch growing in. Photo by Jeff Bryant.