Hummingbirds: feathered pollinators

Chances are that if you walked in a garden, or out in a field with a variety of flowers, you may have seen a hummingbird flying and hovering about foraging for nectar. These tiny birds never seem to stop flying, even when they lap up nectar from a flower using their long tongues.

The ruby-throated hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) is the only species of hummingbird found in the Northeastern United States. Mature birds are iridescent green, with the males showing a red throat that often appears black when viewed from the side. They are migratory birds and make their spring appearance during late April and head south in October, usually before the first frost. Some of these birds are thought to migrate across the Gulf of Mexico to Yucatan, quite a feat for a bird with a four-and-a-half-inch wingspan.

Hummingbirds breed during the summer in the region. They typically lay two bean-sized eggs in a tiny nest, which are incubated for about 14-16 days. Total time from egg laying to fledging is around five weeks. The female performs all the incubation, brooding and feeding the young.

The hummingbird probably got its name from the sound of its beating wings, which average 80 beats per minute. Hummingbirds are frequently heard before they are seen in flight. To power all this activity, a hummer has a heart that beats up to 1,200 times per minute in flight. Although it feeds largely on nectar, a hummingbird also feeds on small insects for protein. Hummers are attracted to brightly colored flowers such as bee balm.