The ruby-throated hummingbird is a small, yet dazzling bird that can be found across much of North America during the spring and summer months. Identifying these tiny dynamos requires familiarity with their distinctive features, behaviors, range, habitat, and vocalizations. With a little practice, anyone can master ruby-throated hummingbird identification.
Physical Features for Identification
The ruby-throated hummingbird displays a number of characteristics that aid in identification, including size, bill shape, plumage details, and unique tail motions.
Tiny Size
- These hummingbirds are the smallest breeding birds in North America, measuring just 3 to 4 inches in length and weighing 2 to 6 grams. Their diminutive size means they can easily be confused with oversized insects at first glance.
Distinctive Bill
- Ruby-throated hummingbirds have slender, pointed bills that measure approximately 1 inch in length. The bill length is equal to or longer than the head.
- The slender bill allows the birds to retrieve nectar from flowers, accessing blossoms that other birds cannot.
Iridescent Plumage
- Male ruby-throated hummingbirds are aptly named for their brilliant, iridescent red throat feathers, or gorget. When struck by direct sunlight, these feathers can appear to flash, making the red patch seem to flicker.
- The males’ emerald green back and crown feathers and dusky wings provide contrast to the red gorget.
- Females lack the red throat patch and are overall duller than males with light green upperparts and white underparts with gray flanks. The throat may show faint red spotting, but nothing like the brilliant gorget on the males.
Distinctive Tail Motions
- In flight, ruby-throated hummingbirds display a unique tail motion that aids identification. As they beat their wings rapidly upward over their backs, they fan and shut their tails repeatedly in a scissor-like motion. No other North American hummingbird displays this distinctive tail movement.
Behavioral Clues for Identification
Ruby-throated hummingbirds display some quintessential behaviors that can help distinguish them from other birds, including swift, acrobatic flight and daring aggression.
Aggressive Behavior
- Ruby-throated hummingbirds are bold and pugnacious, vigorously defending nectar food sources and feeders. They will confront much larger birds that approach by making noisy chip vocalizations and dive bombing potential competitors.
- You can often draw ruby-throats in by putting out a nectar feeder, as they readily investigate new nectar sources. Once they find it, they may guard it, providing close-up views for identification.
Swift, Agile Flight
- These tiny birds can beat their wings up to 70 times per second, allowing them to precisely maneuver in any direction with lightning speed. They expertly dart from flower to flower, buzzing by so quickly they seem to vanish.
- Ruby-throats can fly forward, backward, and upside down, as well as hover in place by rapidly flapping their wings to feed from blossoms. No other North American bird can match their flight agility.
Courting Behavior
- Male ruby-throated hummingbirds perform elaborate courtship displays for females that include spectacular dives from heights of 100 feet or more. At the bottom of the dive they make loud chirping sounds with their tail feathers.
- Females may be observed watching the displays, and can sometimes be seen joining the males at a key perch between dives. This mating behavior provides more clues to aid identification.
Range and Habitat Clues
Paying attention to location and habitat can further assist in ruby-throated hummingbird identification, as they have a distinct range and favored environs.
Broad Range
- Ruby-throated hummingbirds breed in most of the Eastern United States and Canada, ranging north into Ontario and Quebec and west to the Great Plains. They migrate south to Mexico and Central America for the winter.
- On the Pacific Coast, other specialty hummingbird species occur. But through the Midwest and Eastern US, ruby-throats make up the majority of the hummingbird population.
Diverse Habitats
- During summer, ruby-throats frequent meadows, parks, backyards, and open wooded areas, where they hawk insects and visit nectar sources. They are drawn to brightly colored tubular flowers.
- They readily adapt to man-made environments like farms, gardens, and suburbs where flowering plants, shrubs, and nectar feeders abound. If hummingbirds are spotted in these habitats east of the Great Plains, they are most likely ruby-throated.
Distinctive Vocalizations
Listening for key sounds can provide another identification clue when ruby-throated hummingbirds are nearby.
Whining Wings
- The best-known ruby-throated hummingbird vocalization is the whirring, buzzing sound made by their rapidly beating wings. The wings produce a high-pitched whine as they cut through the air during flight. This whirring increases in volume when the birds dive.
Chipping Calls
- Ruby-throats make short, sharp chip or tchip sounds with their voices that serve as warning calls when defending territories or food sources. They may call repeatedly while chasing intruders.
Tail Feather Sounds
- During courtship dives, male ruby-throats force air through their tail feathers to create musical chirping or popping sounds at the bottom of the dive. This helps attract the attention of females.
Identification Tips
Follow these tips when observing an unknown hummingbird to determine if it is a ruby-throated:
- Note the location and habitat – is it in ruby-throat range and terrain?
- Watch for a very small bird that flies rapidly and can hover.
- Listen for whirring wings and chipping vocalizations.
- Look for males with an iridescent red throat or females with some red spotting on a white throat.
- Pay attention to a slender bill that equals or exceeds the head length.
- Observe the scissor-like tail motions unique to ruby-throats.
- Check for aggressive behavior, especially around flowers and feeders.
With practice, anyone can positively identify these energetic, shimmering songbirds by their look, sound, and behavior. The ruby-throat is a sight to behold as it zooms from bloom to bloom, reflecting like a living ruby in the summer sunshine.
Unique Aspects of Ruby-Throated Hummingbird Biology and Behavior
Beyond identification, ruby-throated hummingbirds exhibit some amazing biological adaptations and behaviors worth understanding. Their unique physiology and instincts ensure their survival in the wild.
Energy Demands of Hovering Flight
The ruby-throat’s ability to hover comes from specially adapted musculature and a rapid metabolism that provides the massive energy required. Beating their wings over 50 times per second during hovering generates huge oxygen and calorie needs.
To meet these demands, ruby-throats have proportionally larger hearts and breast muscles than other birds. They also have the ability to shunt blood and oxygen directly to the skeletal muscles supporting flight when required.
Role of Nectar in Their Diet
Ruby-throats get most of their nutrition from drinking floral nectar, as well as from catching insects and spiders. Specialized tongue structures allow them to lap up nectar deep within blossoms.
They prefer red tubular flowers that match their energy needs and tongue shape. Ruby-throats can consume up to half their body weight in nectar each day to power their extreme activity levels.
Agility in Flight Maneuvers
The ruby-throat’s unique skeletal and muscular adaptations allow impressive aerial abilities. They can fly forward, backward, laterally, and upside-down. Their wings act independently, permitting maneuvers like somersaults.
This agility lets ruby-throats dart to flowers, chase insects, and engage in elaborate courtship flights. The tails provide stability and allow tight turns via fanning motions. No other bird approaches their precision flight capabilities.
Migration by a Tiny Songbird
Despite weighing mere grams, ruby-throats migrate amazingly long distances. They summer across Canada and the U.S. then fly to Mexico or Central America when flower blooms dwindle in fall.
Some ruby-throats traverse over 500 miles of open water non-stop during migration. Their fat stores and feeding endurance allow these marathons. By doubling their weight pre-migration, they create an energy reserve for travel.
Torpor Use for Energy Conservation
To conserve calories on cool nights and during bad weather, ruby-throats can enter torpor, a hibernation-like state. Their metabolic rate and temperature drop, saving vital energy.
Torpor reduces their needs by an estimated 60-70%. They revive rapidly when conditions improve to recommence feeding. This adaptation likely aids their survival during harsh weather and long migrations.
Courtship Diving Behavior
One of the ruby-throat’s most acrobatic behaviors is the breeding dive display. To impress females, males fly as high as 100 feet then dive sharply downward while making sounds with their tail feathers.
As they drop, they may reach speeds of over 60 mph before pulling up sharply. The dives demonstrate the male’s strength and agility, showing he has the advanced flying skills needed to evade predators and provide for offspring.
Attracting Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds to Your Yard
Here are some tips for bringing ruby-throated hummingbirds to your property by meeting their habitat and dietary requirements:
Offer Specialized Feeders
It’s simple to provide supplemental nectar for ruby-throats by offering specialized feeders. Select feeders with red components that attract the birds and provide ample feeding ports. Keep feeders clean and fill them with a proper ratio of white refined sugar dissolved in water. Do not use honey, which promotes dangerous mold growth. Site feeders in safe locations out of reach of predators.
Plant Native Nectar Sources
Ruby-throats favor tube-shaped flowers in red, orange, pink or purple. Plant nectar-rich native flowers and shrubs like bee balm, cardinal flower, columbine, trumpet creeper, native honeysuckles and red buckeye. Group multiples of the same plants together to better attract hummingbirds. Avoid modern hybrid flowers with less nectar. Keep flowers deadheaded and watered to prolong blooming.
Offer Water for Bathing
Hummingbirds bathe daily to keep their feathers in ideal flying condition. Place a shallow bath, mister or fountain near your flowers and feeders to provide water for bathing and drinking. Move the water frequently to keep it clean and fresh.
Eliminate Pesticides
Ruby-throats are highly sensitive to chemicals. Never apply pesticides or herbicides near hummingbird habitat and food sources or on any flowering plants. The toxins can be lethal to the birds or reduce the insects they rely on for protein.
Let Foliage Grow Natural
Ruby-throats often gather spider silk and plant down to line their tiny nests. Let some leaves, mosses, seeds and natural debris remain in your garden to provide materials. Avoid excessive tidying that removes these nesting resources.
With a little planning, anyone can turn their yard into the perfect haven for dazzling ruby-throated hummingbirds all summer long. The birds will reward your efforts with their captivating beauty, amazing aerobatics, and endless entertainment value.
Common Questions About Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds
How big are ruby-throated hummingbirds?
Ruby-throated hummingbirds are the smallest breeding bird in North America. They measure just 3 to 4 inches long and weigh only 2 to 6 grams. Their diminutive size is a key identification feature.
How fast do their wings beat?
Ruby-throated hummingbirds can beat their wings from 50 to over 70 times per second, enabling them to precisely hover and fly in any direction with lightning speed. This rapid wingbeat produces the characteristic whirring hum of their flight.
How fast can they fly?
In a courtship dive, male ruby-throats can attain speeds over 60 miles per hour. Their typical feeding and territory flight is 30 to 40 miles per hour. Even when hovering, their wings are beating fast enough to carry them 18 miles per hour if converted to forward motion.
What is their wingspan?
Given their very small body size, ruby-throated hummingbirds have a proportionally broad wingspan that averages 3 to 4 inches. This ample wing surface area supports the lift required for hovering and the intricate maneuvers hummingbirds perform.
How much nectar do they consume?
Ruby-throats have a very rapid metabolism to power their flight muscles. They can consume up to half their body weight in nectar daily. The average bird eats 5 to 8 times an hour at a feeding. Their preferred flowers produce enough concentrated nectar to satisfy these needs.
What is their lifespan?
In the wild, the average lifespan is 3 to 5 years. The oldest known ruby-throat in the wild reached 9 years of age. With the dangers of migration and the energy demands of hovering flight, they are short-lived birds compared to many other species. Good habitat and lack of predators allows for greater longevity.
When is ruby-throat migration?
Ruby-throats spend winters in southern Mexico and Central America, then migrate north to breed across the U.S. and Canada. Spring migration occurs February to May, with some late stragglers arriving in June. Fall migration back south runs late August through October. Some ruby-throats make the 500+ mile trip across the Gulf of Mexico non-stop!
What do they eat besides nectar?
Ruby-throats are omnivores, getting most of their nutrition from flower nectar but also needing protein from prey. They eat a wide variety of small insects and spiders snatched out of the air or plucked from plants and webs. Midges, mosquitoes, aphids, fruit flies, gnats and other tiny insects make up the majority of their diet.
How do you attract ruby-throated hummingbirds?
Providing a nectar feeder is the best way to draw in ruby-throats. They also appreciate flowering native plants, especially tubular red blossoms. Leaving dead trees and brush stands for insects and perches also encourages them. Avoid pesticides and maximize natural foliage that supplies nesting materials.
Conclusion
With a practiced eye, anyone can identify the dazzling ruby-throated hummingbird by watching for their diminutive size, iridescent plumage, frenetic flight habits, and pugnacious nature. These energetic birds utilize some amazing adaptations like hovering flight and sugar-powered endurance to survive. Their beauty and aerial skills make attracting ruby-throats to yards and gardens a fulfilling endeavor. With the right habitat enrichment and nectar supplementation, anyone can invite these special birds into their outdoor spaces. The ruby-throat is a jewel of nature well worth watching and protecting.