Juvenile Ruby Throated Hummingbird Male

Hundreds of kinds of hummingbirds nest in the american tropics and more than a dozen in the western u s but east of the great plains there is only the ruby throat.

Juvenile ruby throated hummingbird male. I e the adult male and adult female are different in external appearance. The males need to establish their territory first so they can then court the females who follow a few days later. Keep in mind that from the beginning to the middle of the hummingbird season mid april to mid july you won t be seeing any juvenile birds. A flash of green and red the ruby throated hummingbird is eastern north america s sole breeding hummingbird.

The male ruby throated hummingbird does indeed have a striking red throat though the female of the species does not. While females have very faint gray streaks on the throat juvenile male ruby throated hummingbirds have much bolder streaks that will gradually show the red iridescence. Ruby throated hummingbirds will typically begin their northern migration in late february to early march. One of the feistiest hummingbird in north america.

There it is fairly common in summer in open woods and gardens. Impressive migrants despite their small size some ruby throats may. Juvenile male ruby throated hummingbird hovering this hummingbird is from 7 to 9 cm 2 8 to 3 5 in long and has an 8 to 11 cm 3 1 to 4 3 in wingspan. This can make ageing and sexing difficult during summer and fall after young of the year have fledged.

The differences in male female and juvenile ruby throated hummingbirds are subtle but if you know what to look for you can identify between the three fairly easily. These brilliant tiny precision flying creatures glitter like jewels in the full sun then vanish with a zip toward the next nectar source. However young males masquerade as females until their first winter at which time they attain adult male plumage. The pattern is usually repeated several times before the male takes a break.

Weight can range from 2 to 6 g 0 071 to 0 212 oz with males averaging 3 4 g 0 12 oz against the slightly larger female which averages 3 8 g 0 13 oz. Juvenile male ruby throated hummingbirds have the same gray auriculars that their mothers have but the color is often less intense and less extensive it will gradually darken to their mature plumage. Hovering in front of a flower to sip nectar it beats its wings more than 50 times per second. Adult ruby throated hummingbirds archilochus colubris are sexually dimorphic.

As ruby throated hummingbird rthu females arrive males attempt to attract their attention with spectacular courtship flights in which a male flies upward 15m or more and then dives down at top speed pulling up at the last moment to complete a u shaped pattern. The brilliant orange male and the green and orange female rufous hummingbird are relentless attackers at flowers and feeders going after if not always defeating even the large hummingbirds of the southwest which can be double their weight. Male ruby throated hummingbirds will leave for their breeding destination a few days earlier than females.