FRIENDS
OF
THE
NATURE
CENTER
Spring Issue 2005
A Quarterly Publication
Species Profile
Ruby-throated Hummingbird – Archilochus colubris
The Ruby-throated Humming bird is Michigan’s smallest bird, weighing less than a penny and measuring at only 3 to 3¾ inches from the tip of its bill to tip of its tail. This tiny, colorful and fast moving bird breeds in Eastern North America from South and Central Canada to Texas and Florida. It is found in the entire state of Michigan in deciduous or mixed forest, woodland edges, orchards, parks and residential areas with large shade trees. While the Hummingbird is known for its fondness of nectar, a major portion of its diet is small insects and spiders. The small birds are shiny metallic green above with white below and the males having an iridescent throat.
Birds begin arriving in the state the last week of April with the heaviest migration in May with nesting taking place in June and July. The fall migration runs from late August through October in Michigan.
The nest, which is only about 1½ inches inside diameter, is built by the female with such materials as lichens, bark and plant
fibers, and spider webs and is lined with soft plant down. It is place 10 to 20 feet above the ground on a branch that often angles downward and usually near or over water. Usually two small (about the size of a small jellybean), white non-glossy eggs are laid, which hatch in approximated 14 days. Young birds leave the nest in around 21 days after being fed and cared for by the female.
The tiny bird’s heartbeats at about 250 times per minute when at rest, and about 1,220 per minute while flying. Their wings beat at about 60 to 80 beats per second and they can fly at 25mph in normal flight. In migration the Ruby-throat must fly 525 miles nonstop across the Gulf of Mexico, which takes about 20 hours. They must find food immediately upon reaching shore or they will die. Birds nesting in Canada must travel over 2,500 miles between winter and summer breeding grounds.
Ruby-throated Hummingbirds can easily be attracted by planting colorful flowers with deep throats and plenty of nectar. You can also put out a Hummingbird feeder filled with a solution of 25% sugar and water (ration of 1 part table sugar 4 parts water). No extra coloring is needed for the solution.
