About The Ruby-Throated Hummingbird

The ruby-throated hummingbird is named as such because of the red color around its throat. Its hummingbird name, however, is taken from the hum sound produced by the bird’s rapid wing motion which may rise or fall depending on the wing speed. This tiny bird beats its wings at a speed of about 55 to 75 times per second.

The ruby-throated hummingbird is a small bird about 3.5 inches long and weighing about 3.1 grams. It is the adult male that has a red throat with emerald green back, gray flanks and forked tail. The adult female is bigger than the male, with emerald green back, white breast and throat and longer bill.

This bird is probably the most common species that breeds in the eastern section of North America. They are the ones you see hovering at flowers with long black bills that allow them to sip nectar.

The North American hummingbirds share a medium length bill which allows them to feed on different plants while those in South America have longer or curved bills that somehow match the shape of specific flowers. The South American hummingbird is usually the only pollinator of a single plant. In fact, it is said that the hummingbird pollination has greatly influenced the evolution of some 19 species of plants in the eastern part of the U.S. Ruby-throated hummingbirds feed on nectar of more than 30 plants.