- Ruby-throated Hummingbird
- Rufous Hummingbird
- Black-chinned Hummingbird
- Calliope Hummingbird
- Allen’s Hummingbird
- Broad-tailed Hummingbird
- Mexican Violetear
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
The Ruby-throated Hummingbird is the most common hummingbird in Florida and can be seen all year.
The males’ ruby-red throats give them their name, while both males and females have emerald or golden-green backs.
They have the look of a feathery jewel. If you happen to see some of them, and there’s a good chance you will, their exotic, gleaming colours will catch your eye.
Ruby-throated Hummingbirds love to live in the forests, where they build their nests in deciduous trees like birch, oak, and poplar.
Flowers like trumpet honeysuckle, crimson cardinal flowers, scarlet beebalm, wild bergamot, and trumpet creeper may entice them to come to your yard.
Traditional nectar-filled hummingbird feeders are also popular.
These little birds flit from nectar source to nectar source, collecting insects in flight or from spider webs.
They occasionally come to a halt on a twig, but their legs are so short that they can only shuffle along with a perch.
Flowering gardens and forest borders are good places to seek in the summer.
Male Ruby-throated Hummingbirds can be aggressive in their defence of blooms and feeders. They don’t stay around long after mating, and they may have left by early August in New Jersey.
Ruby-throated females build nests on slender trees out of thistle or dandelion downlinked together with spider silk. They lay 1-3 small eggs.
Rufous Hummingbird
Male and female Rufous Hummingbirds can be identified by their greenbacks and the rufous tail feathers with white tips that give them their name.
Male Rufous Hummingbirds also have iridescent orange necks. As a result, they are frequently mistaken for the Ruby-throated Hummingbird.
Rufous Hummingbirds like to nest in open areas such as shrubby fields, parks, or forest borders. Some may even be found in wetlands, providing a colourful splash to the scene.
In the wild, Rufous Hummingbirds drink nectar. When nectar is sparse, they will drink sap from holes left by other sap-sucking animals/birds. The rest of their diet is made up of gnats and microscopic spiders.
To attract Rufous Hummingbirds, plant flowers such as bearberry blossoms, scarlet cardinal flowers, Columbia lilies, and milkweed in your yard. Set out a nectar-filled hummingbird feeder as well.
Black-chinned Hummingbird
Hummingbirds with black cheeks have a greyish-white underside and a dull metallic greenback. Males have a black throat with a thin iridescent purple base, while females have a light neck and white tips on their tail feathers.
They feed on nectar, tiny insects, and spiders, and their tongues may lick 13-17 times per second when feeding on nectar.
The nests of black-chinned hummingbirds are made of plant down and spider silk and they lay two white tiny eggs.
Black-chinned Hummingbirds can be seen perching on tiny bare branches at the tops of dead trees, and they frequently return to a favourite perch.
They can be found in the Southwest among canyons and rivers, as well as on the Gulf Coast under shade oaks.
Calliope Hummingbird
Calliope Hummingbirds are the smallest breeding birds in North America, measuring about 2.8-3.9 inches and weighing 0.071- 0.106 oz.
Male Calliope Hummingbirds are occasionally confused for Ruby-throated Hummingbirds due to the wine-red markings on their necks. Males and females both have greenbacks, white bellies, and black, white-tipped tails.
Calliope Hummingbirds like open spaces and spend a lot of time in meadows and valleys.
Although they eat microscopic invertebrates like aphids for protein and fat, Calliope Hummingbirds mostly survive on floral nectar.
Bright, nectar-rich blooms such as red bee balm, scarlet honeysuckle, foxgloves, and hollyhock may entice them to your garden.
Allen’s Hummingbird
Allen’s Hummingbird is a spherical, tiny bird. The males have iridescent burnt-orange throats, coppery backs, and orange-tan bellies.
Females lack the orange neck and instead have a more subdued color pattern.
These lovely hummingbirds construct their nests in forests and scrubby meadows along the Oregon and California coasts. They may relocate to Mexico throughout the winter.
Allen’s Hummingbirds eat nectar, tree sap, and bugs, which provide necessary protein and fat.
To entice them to come to your yard, place/grow flowers, particularly red salvia, paintbrush, honeysuckle, and hollyhocks. They will also cheerfully consume nectar from a hummingbird feeder.
Broad-tailed Hummingbird
Broad-tailed Hummingbirds are medium-sized hummingbirds with long, slender tails. Males and females have primarily green backs and white belly feathers, with the male having a striking iridescent orange neck.
In the wild, they live in high-elevation habitats such as scrubby meadows or evergreen woodlands. They eat a varied diet of bugs and nectar.
Plant paintbrushes, as well as honeysuckle, beebalm, and other brightly colored and tubular flowers, in your yard to attract them. You might also put out a hummingbird feeder.
Mexican Violetear
Mexican Violetears are medium-sized hummingbirds with metallic green bodies and violet patches on their heads and breasts.
Males and females are nearly identical, with males being slightly larger and brighter. Mexican Violetears breed in woods in Mexico, Central America, and Nicaragua, but can also be found in the mountains of Bolivia and Venezuela.
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