All About the Ruby Throated Humming Bird

The Ruby Throated Humming Bird is probably the most widely recognized species of humming bird in the world today. These tiny birds are often immortalized in beautiful works of art and sculpture. Not only are they gorgeous, they're amazing as well!

This type of humming bird weighs only one-eighth of an ounce and measures around three inches in length when full grown. These little birds are remarkable divers, and when in dive or escape mode, their wing beats can reach as high as 63 miles per hour. Ruby Throated humming birds feature beautiful plumage. The males have emerald green back feathers and bright ruby coloring at the throat area, hence their name. The females are different in the fact that they do not have this ruby coloring.

Humming birds dine on nectar, with the exception of chicks. Humming bird babies are usually fed protein-rich insects delivered to them by an attentive mother. Full-grown humming birds get the majority of their nectar from flowers, although some of them love the sugar water many people put in their feeders. You can make your own humming bird nectar solution using plain sugar and water. Use one part sugar to four parts water, and boil to make the sugar dissolve. Allow the mixture to cool, then place in the feeder.

Ruby Throated humming birds love the color red. Select a red feeder if possible, and plant red flowers with tubular shaped blooms to bring hungry humming birds to your garden. Humming birds like large clumps of flowers rather than ones that are scattered, probably because it's easier for them to see and feed that way. Try flower choices like Red Columbine, Lily, Morning Glory, Fuschia, Bleeding Heart, Cardinal Flower, and any other blooms you can find that are bright and showy. You'll find that along with the humming birds, butterflies will enjoy feeding at your garden as well!

There's nothing more relaxing than birdwatching. If you're patient, you can spot something that many spend hours looking for -- a gorgeous Ruby Throated humming bird dining at the feeder or on the nectar provided by your flowers. Because humming birds are migratory, you're most likely to see them in the warmer months. When temperatures start to drop, they head to warmer climates to spend the winter.

Copyright 2006 Frances Coleman - All Rights Reserved

2007 Ruby-throated Hummingbird

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