Ruby-throated hummingbird aka “hummer.” Photo: Joshua Cotton, Unsplash.
By Valerie Chandler
As the seasons change, so do the landscape, the people visiting the area and the winged creatures that take flight. Probably the most eagerly awaited is the return of the ruby-throated hummingbird, aka “hummer,” with its iridescent green feathers, bright white belly and the brilliant, red-feathered throat of the male. These diminutive birds only grow about 3.5 inches tall and weigh less than a quarter of an ounce or about 7 grams. (For comparison, that’s less than the weight of a nickel.) These tiny birds are eastern North America’s only hummingbird, and by autumn they make their non-stop migratory journey back to Central America. Such an amazing feat for a bird the size of a large peanut!
Flying
Hummingbirds are the only birds able to fly backward, forward and hover in place. The ruby-throated variety can beat its wings about 53 times per second, resulting in the humming sound we hear, hence its name. If caught off guard and at first glance, the quick blur of a hummingbird may be mistaken for a large bee. Their short, tiny legs and feet reduce aerodynamic drag while flying, but also prevent them from walking or hopping around. They either fly or shuffle wherever they perch. The ruby-throats have tiny squeaky chirps they use to communicate with each other.
All hummingbirds have muscle and skeletal features that enable agile, precision flight. Their wings include a flexible shoulder joint that permits the wing to rotate almost 180 degrees while moving forward and backward in a horizontal figure-eight pattern. This pattern generates lift on both forward and backward wing strokes and allows for their extreme maneuverability in flight. A hummingbird’s chest muscles are notably well-developed, comprising up to 30 percent of its body weight, a higher percentage than any other bird group.
Planting
The ruby-throated hummingbird can be found in flower gardens, fields, parks, woodland edges or where hanging plants, flowers or feeders are placed to attract them. They can often be daring and feed at plants and feeders next to windows or on porches where humans and pets may be present. If planting flowers to attract more hummingbirds, choose tubular-shaped ones they love ⸺ such as petunias, fuchsia, trumpet vine, columbine, salvia, delphinium, bleeding hearts, foxglove, zinnias and bee balm ⸺ in shades of red, orange and bright pink. They have good color vision and can see into the ultraviolet spectrum, unlike humans. Planting flower gardens also provides them access to tiny insects for protein. The hummingbirds have long tongues inside their needle-like beaks which help them eat nectar from flowers and occasionally tree sap.
Feeding
If considering purchasing a hummingbird feeder, make sure it is easy to take apart to clean and it is large enough to refill every day or two. It is better to have several feeders than a single large one since the birds tend to be territorial and will be aggressive when defending their territory.
Rather than buying a pre-mixed nectar, a homemade version is easy to make using one-quarter cup of granulated white sugar per one cup of water. Use only white sugar as brown, turbinado, confectioners, raw or organic may adversely affect their health. Make sure all the sugar is completely dissolved before filling your feeder. Red food coloring is not necessary and may be harmful for the birds; they can locate the nectar without the coloring. Flower nectar is clear; it’s the bright colors of the flowers that attract them. Never use honey to sweeten the nectar because it can cause bacteria and fungus to thrive in the water. During colder or rainy conditions when the birds may need more energy, concentrations of one-third cup of sugar may be mixed with one cup of water to help sustain their metabolism.
Be sure to make new nectar and change it before it gets cloudy or discolored, especially during hot days, because sugar water can ferment quickly and produce toxic alcohol. To avoid this, keep your feeder out of direct sunlight. Always make sure to wash/scrub and thoroughly rinse your feeder, including any flower stations, bee guards or perches, before refilling to prevent any mold, mildew or dirt buildup. If you mix large batches of nectar to store for later use, make the mixture with boiling water, cool, and store in the refrigerator. If you mix the nectar every day or two, just enough for the feeder(s), there’s no need to boil the water.
Hummingbirds expend a great amount of energy during flight; thus, they need to feed almost constantly throughout the day. They consume up to half their weight in sugar to maintain their energy. On cold nights, to conserve energy, hummingbirds can enter controlled hypothermia. They lower their body temperature and heart rate, entering a state of torpor. The next morning, within a few minutes, the hummingbird speeds up its metabolism and gets its body temperature back to normal.
If you live in wooded areas or where bears have been spotted, it’s always a good idea to remove your hummingbird feeder at night, otherwise you may find that Yogi or other critters enjoyed a sweet drink and will come back for more.
Nesting
Ruby-throated hummingbirds make their delicate, thimble-sized nest in a deciduous or coniferous tree, usually 5-20 feet off the ground. They have also grown accustomed to humans and sometimes make their home on chains, loops of wire or ropes. The nest is built by the female and takes 6-10 days to complete. This tiny nursery is made of grasses, plant fibers and spider silk, is lined with more plant material and camouflaged on the outside with dead leaves or lichens.
During courtship, the male hummingbird will fly back and forth in a u-shaped arc in front of a female, sometimes swooping up to 50 feet; his wings make a whirring twitter sound on each diving pass. He may also make short back and forth passes in front of a perched female accompanied by a high-pitched squeaky chittering. The male hummingbird stays around long enough for courtship and mating before going solo. The female will lay 1-3 tiny white eggs and she incubates them for about two weeks. The chicks will fly as soon as 20 days after hatching. The female usually produces one to two, sometimes three, brood per year and may start building a second nest while still feeding young in the first nest.
Protecting
The ruby-throated hummingbird is not endangered but, unfortunately, they are victims of window collisions and prey for cats and other predators. The oldest known ruby-throated hummingbird was a female at least nine years and two months old when she was recaptured and re-released in 2014 during banding operations in West Virginia.
Help keep the hummingbirds thriving around you by adding native plants to your garden, avoiding pesticides and keeping cats indoors.
Sources:
National Wildlife Federation (nwf.org), Audubon Society (audubon,org)
American Bird Conservancy (abcbirds.org)
Valerie Chandler lives in Wellston with her husband Matthew and their border collie/Australian shepherd. A citizen and employee of the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians, she is also a cancer survivor who loves to spend time with her family and has many interests.
Read more stories written by or including Valerie Chandler HERE
