Hummingbirds Plus

The Ruby-throated Hummingbird, one of the smallest hummingbird species, can only grow to a length of 3 to 3.5 inches and weight of about 3 grams. Due to its small size, the bird is sometimes mistaken for a large insect.

It is considered as the only breeding hummingbird in the eastern North America. It is also the most widespread among all hummingbird species.

A Ruby-throated Hummingbird has only about 940 feathers in average, which are all replaced every year. For this, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds hold the record for having the least number of feathers of any bird.

The thin, asymmetrical, and slightly curved primary feather of the Ruby-throated Hummingbird allows it to achieve an optimal speed when flying. It can fly straight to a speed of 25 miles per hour, and 40 miles per hour during courtship dives.

Aside from being precision flyers, Ruby-throated Hummingbird also boasts an average record wingbeat frequency of 53 times per second. However, during courtship, this frequency soars up to about 200 times per second. They would fly in perfect arcs, then dive up and down vertically in front on the subject female.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird’s very short legs prevent it from other means of moving, such as walking or hopping. Indeed, it can only shuffle along a perch. It scratches its head and neck by raising its food up and over its wing.

Despite its small size, the Ruby-throated Hummingbird can fly over 3000 kilometers from the eastern United States, crossing over 1000 kilometers of the Gulf of Mexico to winter in Central America in just one flight.

Ruby-throated Hummingbirds like to eat on red or orange flowers because of their high sugar content. This does not mean however that the sugar water in hummingbird feeders should be colored. Similar to many other birds, hummingbirds also have a good color vision, which allows them to look into the ultraviolet spectrum that humans can’t see.

Due to their solitary nature, male Ruby-throated Hummingbirds already leave the female right after copulation. There is no bond that is formed between pairs. Indeed, they only spend time together during courtship and mating, which only runs in just a matter of few days or weeks.

Most of the time, these birds place their nests on a branch of a deciduous or coniferous tree. However, because of increased human habitation, they have adapted to nesting on loops of chain, wire, and extension cords.

While young hummingbirds are generally in a helpless condition upon birth, they are already fully-grown upon fledging the nest.

While most hummingbirds die within their first year, there are significant numbers of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds that live an average of 3 years or so. The oldest known Ruby-throated Hummingbird has a lifespan of 9 years and 1 month.

Sometimes, a Ruby-throated Hummingbird is mistaken for a Hummingbird Moth, which, despite flying slower than the hummingbird, also exhibits a rapid wing pattern. Both are so fast moving, making it so difficult to see them.

These are just some of the most interesting facts about Ruby-throated Hummingbirds. It’s interesting to know that these birds have different characteristics that distinguish it from other hummers. A close look at these birds will surely make you fall in love with them.

We all love hummingbirds. They are a natural attraction that we all love to watch. With their tiny sizes and interesting sounds, these little animals never fail to amaze us with their unique traits and diverse characteristics.

Check out these amazing videos that will remind you of the beauty and wonders of hummingbirds:

1) Animal Planet – Incredible Nature Hummingbirds Magic in the Air

Animal Planet allows us to enter into the world of hummingbirds through this beautiful documentary. Describing hummingbirds as “the most remarkable things on two wings”, the video showcases the colorful life of hummingbirds – their physical features, characteristics, habitat, behavior, and many others.

2) Humming Beautiful Birds National Geographic Animals

This lengthy video by National Geographic showcases the beauty of hummingbirds as their colors provide a stark contrast with the tropical forest background. National Geographic used the power of high-speed cameras to slow down and look into the fast life of these ‘jeweled messengers’ in the forests. In the later part of the video, the documentary looks into the interventions made by humans to be closer to hummingbirds.

3) Hummingbird Babies Birth to Fledging the Nest – First Flight

This is a great documentary that shows a female Allen’s Hummingbird taking care of her two babies from birth to fledging the nest. Close-up details of the nest, as well as the behavior of the young hummingbirds, were also featured. The young male’s first flight was also closely recorded.

4) Slow Motion Hummingbirds

BBC Earth Unplugged used high-definition lenses to closely watch the movements of hummingbirds around feeders. The video shows how hummingbirds use their long beaks to feed into the sugar water in the feeder. It also showcases the degree of wingbeat frequency that hummingbirds do even if the video has been slowed already.

5) Taming the Alaskan Hummingbird – The Story Behind “The Shot”

The video shows the adorable hummingbirds eating right at the hands of people. The owner shows different strategies to tame the hummingbirds to people’s hands and be comfortable with them. Also, it adds some tips on making the solution for the sugar water.

6) Top 20 Native Hummingbird Plants

In this video, you will find the different flowers and flowering plants that hummingbirds love to perch on as their nectar source. Most of these plants, which are native to the East Coast of North America, are brightly colored and have a tubular shape – which usually signify high sugar content.

7) Snoring Hummingbird – Super Cute Animals

This video shows a sleeping hummingbird snoring. We often see hummingbirds as very lively, fast, and colorful, but this video allows us to take a peek at these animals acting closely like humans. Who wouldn’t fall in love with this lovely creature and its high-pitched sleeping sound?

8) Hummingbird Tongues in Stunning Slow Motion

This short video shows how the hummingbird’s tongue serves as a tiny pump that helps it derive nectar from flowers, refuting common beliefs among biologists that the act is facilitated by capillary action. A study of 18 hummingbird species supports this claim.

9) Hummingbird Aerodynamics

This 5-minute video focuses on the flying behaviors of a hummingbird as it feeds on the feeder. Also, the video observes the ‘tail flick’ behavior that a hummingbirds does as it slowly approaches the feeder.

10) Hummingbird Happiness

Here, you can see how a hummingbird haven looks like. It was estimated that there are about 50 to hundreds of hummingbirds in this haven near the Lake of the Ozarks in Central Missouri. The video also shows the commitment of the family to keep the hummingbirds flocking in their yard.

These are just some of the best hummingbird videos that you can see online. Apparently, there are so many reasons to love hummingbirds. They are pieces of happiness and precious jewels in the air.

Hummingbirds are like flying jewels. They bring wonderful colors and interesting noises in the environment. This is why many people want to attract hummingbirds towards their surroundings.

According to scientists, at least 21 hummingbird species are showing up earlier, leaving later, and ranging more widely than they once did. Accordingly, this is the perfect time to attract hummingbirds towards your very own yard.

Here are some tips to attract hummingbirds to your gardens:

1) Hang a hummingbird feeder.

Preparing sugar water for the hummingbird feeder is easy to do. You just need to mix one part sugar to four parts boiling water. You should not use honey or any artificial sweetener, as these can cause fungal infection in the hummers. Also, while a red color can generally attract hummingbirds, this doesn’t mean that you should put a red dye on the feeders, especially because it can be potentially harmful to the birds. Instead, you can hang red or orange ribbons on the feeder to attract them. And if you have excess sugar water, you can store that in the refrigerator for as long as 2 weeks.

It’s important that you frequently replace the sugar water in the feeder, even if there are no visiting birds. The fast spoilage rate of the nectar turns off hummingbirds, despite being hungry. Ideally, you should replace the sugar water every 5 to 7 days during the cold season, and every 2 days for warmer months. Before you refill the feeder, rinse the feeder thoroughly without using soap. Moreover, clean the feeder once a month with a very mild, diluted bleach solution.

Also, you can hang several feeders in your garden so that you can prevent a territorial bird from owning a single feeder.

2) Put a lot of flowering plants into your garden.

The choice of the flowering plants that you put in your garden can affect the degree attraction of the hummingbirds into your place. It’s best to choose annuals and perennials with varying blooming periods. This strategy ensures that there will be a constant supply of flowers in your garden from early spring until fall. In places with warmer temperatures, some plants that flow during winter provide the hummers with a nectar source the entire year.

Aside from the blooming period, you also need to consider the color and shape of the flowers. As we all know, hummingbirds love brightly colored, tubular-shaped flowers. Their most favorite color is red, followed by pink and orange, and then purple, blue, and yellow. It has been learned that hummingbirds prefer nectar-rich flowers that only has a little fragrance.

Some of the plants that round up into this list are native honeysuckles, most varieties of sages or salvia, many types of columbine and perennial penstemons. Aside from that, they also love bee balm or wild bergamot, cardinal flower, trumpet creeper, ocotillo, lupines, scarlet monkey flower and fire pink. If you’re determined to attract hummingbirds into your yard, visit a local native plant society or nursery to know which of these native plants will grow best in your area.

3) Don’t use insecticides.

There is a good reason why you should avoid using insecticides. Aside from nectar, hummingbirds also feed on small insects as a protein source, not just for the proper development of their young, but also for their overall health. As such, it’s important that you avoid using products that kill insects. Indeed, some hummingbird lovers hang an overripe melon or banana near one of their feeders just to attract insects. Hummingbirds love surroundings that have everything that they need.

4) Place a constant water source in your yard.

It’s best to make your garden a hummingbird haven so that they won’t move to other areas looking for other necessities. In doing so, it’s important to provide a constant water supply for the birds. You can put a birdbath with a couple of flat rocks into your yard. You can also add a drip fountain attachment. Hummingbirds love running water so much and making sure that your garden has a constant water source is a must for attracting hummingbirds.

There are many other tips to attract hummingbirds, but if you diligently follow the tips above, you know your efforts will not go into waste. Hummingbirds will visit your garden in due time.