Name: Hummingbird

Description: Hummingbirds are tiny birds known for their ability to hover in mid-air by rapidly flapping their wings (15-80 times per second). They are named for the hum made by their wings. Hummingbirds can fly backwards or vertically and can maintain position while feeding from flower blooms. The Ruby-Throated Hummingbird, the only species to breed in eastern North America, can be found from central Alberta, Canada eastward to Nova Scotia, and south from eastern North Dakota to eastern Texas and Florida in summer. The Hummingbird winters in southern Mexico and Central America, south to Costa Rica.

Other Names: Ruby-Topaz Hummingbird, Glittering Bellied Emerald, Festive Coquette and Shining Sunbeam

Color: The Ruby-Throated Hummingbird has a metallic green back and iridescent, ruby feathers on its throat. There is a small white spot behind the eye and its under parts are dull white. Females are similar to males but for their white under parts without red throats. Males are usually brightly colored.

Sound: Most Hummingbird songs sound like high-pitched squeaks or chirps to the human ear because they are vocalized so fast.

Preferred Environment: Hummingbirds breed in mixed woodlands and eastern deciduous forests, gardens and orchards, and winter in tropical deciduous forests, tropical dry forests, scrubland, citrus groves and second growth.

Nesting Habits: Only females construct the Hummingbird nest, which is saddled to a branch or twig made of bits of cottony wool from fern stalks, bound with spider webs and shingled with lichens. The nest resembles a tuft of moss or moss-covered knot on a tree limb.

Food Preference: Hummingbirds require both an energy source (usually nectar) and a protein source (usually small insects). They are attracted to many flowering plants, especially those with red flowers. They feed on the nectar of these plants and are important pollinators, especially of tubular plants.