The ruby-throated hummingbird is the only hummingbird that breeds in the eastern United States and Canada. It is a tiny, jewel-toned bird with an outsized migration.
Appearance
Adults are about three to three and a half inches long with metallic green backs and pale underparts. The male shows a brilliant ruby-red throat patch, or gorget, that can look black in dull light and flash bright red when it catches the sun. Females and young birds lack the red throat and have plain whitish throats, which makes them harder to identify. Both sexes have needle-like bills suited to sipping nectar from flowers and feeders.
Range and habitat
The ruby-throated hummingbird breeds across the eastern United States and into southern Canada, favouring woodland edges, gardens and parks. It is the default hummingbird east of the Great Plains in summer, so if you see a hummingbird in that region it is almost certainly this species. In winter most travel south to Mexico and Central America, though a few linger along the Gulf Coast.
Migration
This little bird makes a remarkable journey. Many ruby-throated hummingbirds fly nonstop across the Gulf of Mexico, a crossing of around 500 miles, fuelled by fat reserves built up beforehand. They return north in spring as flowers bloom and depart again in fall. See our full hummingbird migration guide, or check the hummingbird hub for more.