Ruby-throated hummingbird

Ruby-throated hummingbirds hover at flowers and feeders, and males chase rivals fiercely from favourite feeding spots. They eat many small insects as well as nectar, and their young are raised mostly on insects.

Before migrating, they nearly double their weight in fat to fuel the flight across the Gulf of Mexico, up to about 800 km non-stop.

These hummingbirds pollinate many native flowers, including trumpet vine, coral honeysuckle and cardinal flower, whose red tubular shapes have evolved alongside them. Their migration, crossing the Gulf on a few grams of fat, is one of the most remarkable feats of any bird.

Nest — A walnut-sized cup of plant down bound with spider silk and covered in lichen
Eggs — Two, the size of a pea
Incubation — About 12 to 14 days, by the female alone
Nestlings — Fledge at about 18 to 22 days
Broods — One or two a year
Lifespan — Usually three to five years

• Native flowers such as coral honeysuckle, cardinal flower and red buckeye feed them better than any feeder.
• A nectar feeder does no harm if the sugar water is one part sugar to four parts water, with no red dye, and changed every few days in heat.
• Hummingbirds get trapped in garages, often drawn in by the red release handle on the door opener; opening the door fully and switching off the lights usually lets them find the way out.
• Pesticides remove the tiny insects they feed their young.

• Feeders stop hummingbirds migrating. Day length, not food, triggers migration.
• Hummingbirds ride on the backs of geese. They migrate alone, under their own power.

• Rufous hummingbird
• Black-chinned hummingbird
• Chimney swift