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Ruby throated hummingbird juvenile or female withcardinal flower, PA, 2005. Bill Buchanan, US Fish and Wildlife Service. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Ruby throated hummingbird male, Louisville, KY, 2006. Joe Schneid. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

ruby-throated hummingbird

Archilochus colubris

Identification: 
This tiny bird is easy to identify, since it’s the only hummingbird species we’re likely to see at the SBG.  It is very small, barely bigger than a dragonfly.  Its wings beat so rapidly they are barely visible.  The main identifying characteristics are its very long, downward curving bill; ruby red splotch on its upper chest (adult males; females and juveniles lack this feature) with white below; green above; and a faint white eye ring and white at the corner of the tail feathers.

Behavior:
The Ruby-Throated hummingbird can hover amazingly well.  It perches too. It zips around with amazing speed, pollinating native plant species as it visits them.  An important food is nectar; it also consumes insects, often caught on the fly.  It builds its tiny nest on a high up tree branch, directly on the branch rather than in a crook.

What brings it to the SBG?
Food, cover, nesting sites.  Hummingbirds visit the brightly colored perennial flowers in the Demonstration Gardens for nectar, and probably nest nearby. 

When can I see it?
Spring, summer, fall;  this little bird is a mighty flier, migrating all the way to Central America for the winter.