Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Archilochus colubris

The ruby-throated hummingbird is a tiny bird with a needle-like bill and an iridescent green back.

• Males have a ruby red throat and a forked tail.
• Females have a whitish throat and a blunt tail with white spots.

Ruby-throated hummingbirds are the smallest birds found in the Bay region, only growing to about 3 inches.

Where does the ruby-throated hummingbird live?

Ruby-throated hummingbirds are found from late spring through early fall around the Bay region’s freshwater swamps.

What does the ruby-throated hummingbird eat?

Ruby-throated hummingbirds use their needle-like bills to sip nectar from red, tubular flowers that grow in swamps. They are known for beating their wings rapidly to hover while feeding.

View a video of a ruby-throated hummingbird feeding from flowers in a backyard:

What does the ruby-throated hummingbird sound like?

The wings of the male ruby-throated hummingbird make a humming sound during his courtship display.

Where does the ruby-throated hummingbird nest and breed?

Male ruby-throated hummingbirds establish a mating territory and perform a courtship display for any female that enters the territory. During his display, the male’s wings can beat more than twice as fast as its normal rate.

After mating, the male and female separate. The female builds a tiny, 2-inch nest in a tree by the edge of a swamp. There, she lays an average of two eggs that she incubates for 10 to 14 days. The chicks leave the nest 18 to 22 days after hatching.

Other facts about the ruby-throated hummingbird:

• The ruby-throated hummingbird is the only hummingbird found in the mid-Atlantic region.
• Ruby-throated hummingbirds beat their wings 90 times per second.
• Hummingbirds can fly backwards.