NPS/Intern Tristan Thomas Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris)• Ruby-throated Hummingbirds have extremely short legs and this prevents them from walking or hopping. The best they can do is shuffle along a perch.• They beat their wings about 53 times per second • These hummingbirds like to feed on red or orange flowers like honeysuckle, jewelweed, bee -balm, red buckeye, etc. They prefer this because they have a really good color vision and can see into the ultraviolet spectrum that humans cannot. • Ruby-throated Hummingbirds like other hummingbirds are very precise flyers and have the ability to fly full speed and then stop in an instant and stay motionless in midair to adjust their position up, down, sideways, and backwards. Identification Information• Size: Sparrow-sized or smaller (Extra Small)• Color: Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are emerald or golden-green on their backs and tops of their heads. They have gray/white bellies. And males have a bright red iridescent throat.
All of the above information is an abbreviated version of information gathered from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Please visit their website for more in-depth bird information.
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Last updated: August 27, 2019