Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Archilochus colubris
Also called hummingbird.
The only hummingbird that breeds east of the Great Plains, which makes eastern identification unusually simple. The red throat is iridescent, not pigment, so it appears black most of the time.
- Size
- Smaller than a sparrow — 7–9 cm
- Bill
- Needle-fine
- Where
- yard, woodland, feeder
- Season
- summer
What it looks like
Metallic green above and pale below, with a needle bill. The male has an iridescent ruby throat that looks black unless the light catches it directly; the female has a plain white throat.
The checks that confirm it
- Metallic green back, needle-fine bill, hovers and flies backward.
- Male: ruby throat, which flashes only at the right angle and looks black otherwise.
- Female and young: plain white throat, sometimes faintly speckled.
- In the east, essentially the only option.
Voice
High squeaky chattering, and a wing hum audible at close range.
Attracting it
Four parts water to one part plain white sugar, boiled and cooled. No red dye, no honey, no brown sugar. Change it every two days in hot weather.
Confused with
Bright orange-rufous on the back and flanks. Western, but appears in the east most autumns.
A moth that hovers at flowers with visible antennae and clubbed feelers, and no bill.
Questions about this bird
How do you identify a ruby-throated hummingbird?
Metallic green back, needle-fine bill, hovers and flies backward. Male: ruby throat, which flashes only at the right angle and looks black otherwise.
What does a ruby-throated hummingbird sound like?
High squeaky chattering, and a wing hum audible at close range.
How do you attract a ruby-throated hummingbird?
Four parts water to one part plain white sugar, boiled and cooled. No red dye, no honey, no brown sugar. Change it every two days in hot weather.