Appearance
Length: 4 inches. Weight: 1/100 ounce. The beak is long and narrow for the purpose of collecting nectar. The hummingbird is known for its ability to not only hover, but to fly backwards and even upside down.
The average ruby-throated hummingbird is 3 to 3 3/4 inches long, with a wingspan of 4 to 4 3/4 inches. The adult male has a red throat and a slightly forked tail. The red is not a true color; its appearance is dependent upon the angle of the light falling on the bird's throat area. In dim or indirect light, the throat may appear black. Both sexes and all ages share the iridescent green back.
This picture is of a female as there is no red throat. | 
Ruby-throated Hummingbird |
Food
While the ruby-throated hummingbird is attracted to red flowers, it is known to feed from at least 31 different flowering plants, including honeysuckle, petunias, nasturtiums and lilacs . Other preferred flowers include jewelweed and cardinal lobelia, both wetland plants. The hummingbird flies from flower to flower pollinating the plants and sucking the nectar out with its long, thin bill. They feed not only on flower nectar, but also on insects and small spiders they pluck from flowers or catch in mid-air. They are also easily attracted to artificial feeders and will use many garden flowers as a source of nectar and insects.
Habits and Breeding
Despite being so very tiny, the ruby-throated hummingbird migrates distances of more than 1,850 miles--including 600 miles over the Gulf of Mexico to winter in Central America. It then returns to eastern North America to have its young.
The male arrives before the female and establishes his territory. When the female arrives, the male courts her by flying back and forth in perfect arcs. She will lay 2 eggs between March and July in her nest high in a tree. The nest is made of leafy material held together with spider web. She incubates the eggs for 16 days and then feeds her young nectar and small insects. The young are fledged in 3-4 weeks and sometimes the mother will raise a second brood.
It appears that ruby throats are most common at areas where wooded edges are near water.
Recipe for Feeding
Mix one part white sugar to four parts water
Boil mixture for two to three minutes
Cool and fill feeder
Store unused portion in refrigerator for later use
DO NOT use honey or red food coloring
Wildlife fact-file packet 1a and ODNR website wildlife notes page.
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