Species Guide: Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris)
Family: Trochilidae
The Ruby-throated Hummingbird is among the most recognizable and widespread hummingbird species in North America. It is the only hummingbird species that regularly breeds in the eastern United States and southern Canada, making it a familiar presence in gardens, forests, and suburban landscapes.
Appearance
Male Ruby-throated Hummingbirds can be readily identified by their bright green upperparts and a distinctive iridescent red throat patch, known as a gorget. The gorget may appear black under certain lighting conditions. Males also possess a forked tail and dark facial markings that accentuate their vivid coloration.
Females lack the bright red throat seen on the male, and are generally duller in coloration, with white or pale gray throats and rounded tails featuring white tips. Females are slightly larger than males, and their subdued colors provide camouflage during nesting.
Diet
This species predominantly consumes floral nectar, which supplies the high-energy sugars necessary to support its rapid metabolism. The species is particularly attracted to tubular, brightly colored flowers, including trumpet creeper, bee balm, and salvia.
In addition , Ruby-throated Hummingbirds consume small insects and spiders to obtain essential proteins and micronutrients. Ruby-throated Hummingbirds feed on the nectar of numerous flowers each day, especially favoring red or orange tubular varieties such as trumpet creeper, cardinal flower, and honeysuckle, and they also visit hummingbird feeders and sometimes feed on tree sap.
Habitat
These birds inhabit a range of environments, including forests, forest edges, meadows, orchards, and urban gardens. They frequently select habitats near water sources and areas abundant in flowering plants.
The breeding range of the Ruby-throated Hummingbird spans eastern North America, while its wintering grounds are located in Central America and southern Mexico. Migration frequently involves long, uninterrupted flights across the Gulf of Mexico.
Summer
Winter
Behavior
The Ruby-throated hummingbird is solitary and territorial. Of particular note is their advanced flight capabilities, including hovering, flying backward, and rapid directional changes.
Their vocalizations include high-pitched chirps, squeaks, and rapid ‘tik-tik’ sounds.
The life cycle of the Ruby-throated Hummingbird begins with elaborate courtship displays by males, such as aerial dives and pendulum-like flights. Following mating, the female assumes sole responsibility for nesting and rearing offspring, constructing a small cup-shaped nest from plant fibers, spider silk, and lichens.
Females typically lay two eggs, which hatch after approximately 10 to 14 days. Fledglings leave the nest after approximately three weeks and become independent of their parents shortly after. Females are known to raise multiple broods within a single breeding season.
Biometrics
Ruby-throated Hummingbirds rank among the smallest avian species in North America. Adult individuals measure approximately 7.5 to 9.0 centimeters in length, weigh between 3.4 and 3.8 grams, and possess a wingspan ranging from 8 to 11 centimeters.
The wingbeat frequency of the Ruby-throated Hummingbird is exceptionally high, normally ranging from 50 to 90 beats per second during regular flight and increasing further during courtship displays.
Natural Predators
This species faces numerous predators. Sharp-shinned hawks and loggerhead shrikes may capture adults, while blue jays frequently prey on nestlings. Their small size and rapid flight offer some protection; however, nests remain particularly vulnerable because they are exposed on tree branches.
Relationship to Humans
Ruby-throated Hummingbirds have long fascinated people with their coloration and powerful acrobatics. Various Indigenous traditions in the Americas regard hummingbirds as messengers or symbols of stamina and renewal.
Conservation Status
The Ruby-throated Hummingbird is currently classified as ‘Least Concern’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Population estimates suggest that millions of individuals exist throughout its range and that these populations are stable.
The species is protected under international agreements such as the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, which provides safeguards against hunting and habitat destruction.
Global
Conservation Status
Ad Space
References
- Lovette, I. et al. (2016) The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, handbook of bird biology. Third edition. Chichester: Wiley. [Accessed 12/04/2026]
- Wildlife Habitat Management Institute (1999) . Ruby-throated hummingbird (Archilochus colubris). Madison, MS: USDA, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Wildlife Habitat Management Institute. [Accessed 12/04/2026]
- Courter, J.R. et al. (2013) “Assessing Migration of Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds (Archilochus colubris) at Broad Spatial and Temporal Scales,” The Auk, 130(1), pp. 107–117. [Accessed 12/04/2026]
- Rousseu, F., Charette, Y. and Bélisle, M. (2014) “Resource defense and monopolization in a marked population of ruby‐throated hummingbirds (Archilochus colubris),” Ecology and evolution, 4(6), pp. 776–793. [Accessed 12/04/2026]
