Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Quick Facts

Migratory
  • Scientific Name: Archilochus colubris
  • Spanish Name: Colibrí garganta de rubí
  • Family: Trochilidae
  • Known Nicknames: Ruby-throat, Eastern Ruby-throated Hummingbird
  • Average Length: 7–9 cm / 2.8–3.5 in
  • Average Weight: 2–6 g / 0.07–0.21 oz
  • Wingspan: 8–11 cm / 3.1–4.3 in
  • Key Feature: Iridescent ruby-red throat patch on adult males
  • Primary Diet: Primarily Nectarivore (nectar) and Insectivore (small insects and spiders)
  • Range: Eastern and central North America (breeding); winters from southern Mexico to Panama
  • Habitat: Deciduous and mixed woodlands, gardens, and meadows with flowering plants
  • Social Structure: Solitary and highly territorial
  • Nesting/Breeding: Small cup-shaped nest on a tree branch, often above water
  • Conservation Status: Least Concern (LC)
  • Population Trend: Increasing

The Ruby-throated Hummingbird (*Archilochus colubris*) is a dazzling jewel of eastern North America, renowned as the only hummingbird species that breeds east of the Mississippi River. Males are unmistakable, with a brilliant, iridescent ruby-red throat that flashes like a beacon against their metallic emerald-green back and white underparts, while females and juveniles lack the red gorget, sporting a clean white throat and subtle speckling. A master of agile flight, this tiny bird beats its wings up to 80 times per second, allowing it to hover mid-air, fly backwards, and even upside down as it sips nectar from tubular flowers with its specialized, extendable tongue. Perhaps its most astonishing special feature is its epic annual migration: weighing barely a nickel, it undertakes a non-stop 500-mile journey across the Gulf of Mexico twice a year, a feat of endurance that cements its status as one of nature’s most remarkable aviators.

Fun Facts

Despite their tiny size—weighing less than a nickel—Ruby-throated Hummingbirds embark on a non-stop 500-mile flight across the Gulf of Mexico twice a year, a marathon that requires them to double their body fat beforehand. Their wings beat up to 80 times per second, allowing them to fly backward, hover in place, and even upside-down for brief moments. A quirky behavior is their "tongue trap": they lick nectar up to 13 times per second using a forked, fringed tongue that expands like a mop to capture liquid. They also have a bizarre courtship dive where the male plummets from 50 feet and pulls up at the last second, creating a sharp, high-pitched chirp with his tail feathers.

Habitats & Distribution

The ruby-throated hummingbird inhabits a wide variety of open and semi-open environments across eastern North America. Its breeding habitat includes deciduous and mixed woodlands, forest edges, clearings, parks, gardens, and orchards, where it relies on abundant nectar-producing flowers and insect prey. During migration and winter, it occupies similar habitats, including coastal scrub, pine-oak forests, and tropical lowlands. Its geographical range spans from southern Canada (east of the Rocky Mountains) through the eastern United States, reaching as far west as the Great Plains. The species winters primarily in southern Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean, with some individuals overwintering in the southeastern United States. A small, isolated population also breeds in the Cypress Hills region of Alberta and Saskatchewan.

Behaviours & Reproduction

The ruby-throated hummingbird is highly territorial, with males aggressively defending feeding areas and display perches during the breeding season. Males perform a dramatic courtship dive, climbing 50 to 100 feet and plummeting toward a perched female, producing a loud, buzzing sound with their tail feathers at the bottom of the arc. After mating, the male provides no further parental care, leaving the female to build a tiny, lichen-covered cup nest of plant down and spider silk, which stretches to accommodate the growing chicks. Females lay two pea-sized white eggs and incubate them for 12–14 days. A unique reproductive strategy involves the female entering a state of torpor on cold nights to conserve energy for egg incubation and chick rearing, as her high metabolism requires constant feeding. The chicks fledge in about 18–22 days, and the female may raise up to two broods per season.

Diet

The Ruby-throated Hummingbird’s diet is almost entirely composed of nectar from tubular flowers, such as trumpet creeper, bee balm, and jewelweed, which they access using their specialized long, forked tongue that laps up liquid at a rate of up to 13 times per second. To meet their extreme metabolic demands—they can consume up to twice their body weight in nectar daily—they also supplement with small insects and spiders, providing essential protein, fats, and amino acids not found in sugar water. An interesting fact is that before migration across the Gulf of Mexico, they undergo hyperphagia, doubling their body fat to fuel the non-stop 500-mile flight; during this time, they may visit up to 1,000 flowers per day. Additionally, they can enter a state of torpor at night, drastically slowing their metabolism by up to 95% to conserve energy when food is unavailable.

Colors

The Ruby-throated Hummingbird has iridescent emerald green upperparts and a white to pale gray underbelly. Males display a distinctive iridescent ruby-red throat patch (gorget) that can appear black in poor light, while females lack this patch and have a white throat with faint gray spotting. Their forked tail is metallic green with white-tipped outer feathers, and their coloration provides camouflage against foliage.